IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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PhotDgraphic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRiiT 

WIKTM.N.Y.  USM 

(716)  •73-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historicai  iVIicroreproductions  /  institut  Canadian  de  microreprodiictions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


D 


□ 


D 
D 


D 


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Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^e 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  peliicuiie 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

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Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


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The 
toti 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meiileur  exempiaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exempiaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
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une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  f ilmage 
jont  indiqute  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


0 


m 


□ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagies 


I      I   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  peliicui^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d^coior^es,  tachet6es  ou  piqudes 


The 
post 
of  tl 
film 


Orig 

begl 

the 

sion 

othfl 

first 

sion 

or  ill 


□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachdes 


Showthrough/ 
Transparence 


I      I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppi^mentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponibie 


The 
shall 
TIN( 
whi( 

Map 
difffl 
entii 
begi 
right 
requ 
metl 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partieiiement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fiimies  A  nouveau  de  fapon  d 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film4  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

/ 

3 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


ire 

details 
les  du 
modifier 
ler  une 
filmage 


§68 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanict 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library 

Indian  and  Northern  Affairs 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
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filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  bacit  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  i  la 
ginArositA  de: 

Dibliothdque 

Affaires  indiennet  et  du  Nord 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  Att  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimta  sont  filmte  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  ie  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  fiimte  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  y  signifie  "FIN". 


-e 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
fiimAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  ii  est  f  iim6  A  partir 
de  i'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  drcite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


f  errata 
d  to 

It 

le  pelure, 

pon  A 


n 


1  2  3 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

EXPLORATIONS 


I  N 


THE    FAR    NORTH 


B  Y 


FRANK    RUSSELL 


BEING   THE   REPORT   OF   AN   EXPEDITION    UNDER   THE 

AUSPICES   OF  THE   UNIVERSITY  OF  IOWA 

DURING  THE   Y|;A»&.a89?,  '93,  AND  '94 


era 


^       FEB    1     1956 


•»~  ''■•... 


PUBLISHED   BY  THE  UNIVERSITY 

1898 


M3  K$ 


COPYRIGHT,  1898, 

BV   WM.   J.   HADDOCK,    SECRETARV  OP  THE   BOARD  OP  REGENTS 
OF  THE   STATE   UmVERSITY  OP  loWA.    FOR   THE 

STATE  UNIVERSITY  OF  IOWA. 


t 

I 
I 

1, 

a 
n 
e 
e 


PREFACE 


EARLY  in  1891,  Professor  Arthur  G.  Smith  and  the  writer 
planned  to  undertake  a  journey,  during  the  summer 
months,  to  the  northern  shores  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  Manitoba, 
for  the  purpose  of  collecting  ornithological  specimens.  Just 
before  our  departure  in  June,  we  were  joined  by  Professor  C. 
C.  Nutting,  who,  eminently  fitted  by  his  experience  as  a 
naturalist,  became  the  leader  of  the  expedition,  which  was 
thereafter  conducted  in  the  interests  of  the  Museum  of  the 
State  University  of  Iowa.  During  the  summer  two  stations 
were  occupied;  the  first,  near  Lake  Winnipeg,  at  the  Grand 
Rapids  of  the  Saskatchewan  River;  the  second,  sixty  miles 
above,  where  the  River  debouches  into  Cedar  Lake.  The 
results  of  our  explorations  have  been  embodied  in  a  report  by 
Professor  Nutting.^ 

While  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan  I  met  Mr.  R.  Mac- 
Farlane,  the  ornithologist,  who,  during  a  residence  in  the  Fur 
Country  of  nearly  half  a  century,  had  made  extensive  and 
very  valuable  collections  of  natural  history  specimens.  His 
enthusiastic  descriptions  of  the  field,  as  yet  almost  unex- 
plored, roused  in  me  a  strong  desire  to  visit  the  Far  North. 
Professor  Nutting,  also  becoming  interested,  after  our  return 
laid  the  matter  before  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University 
and  eventually  secured  their  approval  of  the  plan  to  send  me 
northward  to  obtain  specimens  of  the  larger  arctic  mammals, 
especially  musk-ox,  and,  incidentall)',  "to  pick  up  everything 
else  that  I  could  lay  my  hands  on." 

^Natural  History  Bulletin,  State  University  of  Iowa,  Vol.  II,  No.  3. 


IV 


PREFACE 


Through  some  oversight  no  money  was  appropriated  to 
carry  on  the  work  and  the  project  must  have  been  abandoned, 
had  not  President  Chas.  A.  Schaeffer  generously  advanced 
the  necessary  amount  to  meet  the  expenses  incurred  during 
the  first  year. 

It  was  my  desire  to  go  at  once  to  the  Great  Slave  Lake 
region,  but  it  seemed  best  to  the  promoters  of  the  enterprise 
that  I  should  become  accustomed  to  the  life  of  the  natives 
before  going  so  far  beyond  the  limits  of  civilization.  Mr. 
MacFarlane,  then  chief  factor  in  charge  of  Cumberland  Dis- 
trict, the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  southernmost  division  of 
the  Fur  Country,  thought  it  advisable  for  me  to  spend  the  first 
winter  at  Grand  Rapids  in  order  to  become  acclimated  and  to 
become  accustomed  to  the  northern  mode  of  winter  travel, 
before  I  should  attempt  to  enter  the  Barren  Ground. 

Grand  Fapids  is  not  a  good  station  for  a  collecting  naturalist. 
Water  birds  are  not  numerous,  land  birds  do  not  differ  from 
those  more  easily  accessible  in  Manitoba.  The  fur-bearing 
mammals  have  been  nearly  exterminated.  The  customs  and 
traditions  of  the  Crees,  who  inhabit  the  country,  have  been  so 
modified  by  contact  with  the  whites  during  a  period  of  over  a 
hundred  years,  that  their  interest  to  the  ethnologist  has  been 
greatly  lessened.  However,  the  work  already  done  at  that 
post  would  be  enhanced  in  value  if  the  collection  was  con- 
tinued through  a  winter  season,  and  it  was  finally  fixed  upon 
as  my  headquarters  for  the  winter  of  1892-3. 

As  it  was  not  desirable  that  I  should  begin  collecting  at 
Grand  Rapids  before  autumn,  at  the  close  of  the  University  in 
June,  I  went  with  Professor  Smith  to  the  Pacific  Coast  where 
we  were  to  collect  natural  history  specimens  for  our  own 
cabinets  until  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  Winnipeg  to 
secure  passage  on  the  last  trip  of  the  lake  steamers. 

Our  first  station  was  upon  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound,  near 
Tacoma,  where  we  devoted  most  of  our  attention  to  the  marine 


PREFACE 


riated  to 
andoned, 
idvanced 
d  during 

ive  Lake 
nterprise 
t  natives 
on.  Mr. 
and  Dis- 
/ision  of 
the  first 
d  and  to 
r  travel, 

ituralist. 

"er  from 

rbearing 

ms  and 

3een  so 

over  a 

IS  been 

at  that 

IS  con- 

d  upon 

ting  at 
'sity  in 
where 
r  own 
3eg  to 

,  near 
larine 


invertebrates.  Several  hundred  starfishes  were  boiled  and 
dried,  thus  preserving  their  form  and  color.  The  most  abun- 
dant species,  Asterias  sp.,  was  noticeably  larger  than  the  A.  vul- 
garis of  the  Atlantic  Coast.  The  sea  urchin,  Echinarachnius 
excetitricus,  was  a  common  species  in  shore,  fifteen  hundred 
being  obtained  in  a  few  minutes  dredging. 

A  full  series  of  the  alcoholic  material  collected  has  since 
been  presented  to  the  University. 

We  were  surprised  to  find  so  few  water  birds  in  that  locality, 
the  pigeon  guillemot,  Cepphus  columba  Pall.,  was  the  only 
species  which  was  at  all  common.  When  we  attempted  to 
collect  land  birds  we  more  fully  realized  the  great  height  of 
the  forest  trees,  in  whose  towering  tops  they  flitted  safely 
about,  quite  beyond  the  reach  of  small  shot. 

We  left  Washington,  late  in  July,  for  the  second  station, 
which  we  were  to  occupy  in  the  mountains  of  Central  British 
Columbia.  When  we  crossed  the  international  boundary  at 
Huntington,  the  person  acting  as  collector  of  customs  for  the 
Dominion  insisted  on  the  payment  of  duty  on  our  effects  with 
the  assurance  that  it  would  be  refunded  when  we  recrossed 
the  line.  Let  me  here  extend  a  warning  to  any  too-confiding 
naturalist  who  may  meet  that  over-zealous  functionary — if  you 
wait  until  you  reach  the  boundary  again  you  will  never  recover 
your  money.  Some  premonition  of  this  fact  induced  Professor 
Smith  to  request  in  person  at  the  Winnipeg  office  that  the 
money  be  refunded,  and  even  then  the  money  was  only 
returned  after  months  of  persistent  correspondence. 

We  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  our  obligation  to  Mr. 
A.  Campbell  Reddie,  Deputy  Provincial  Secretary  of  British 
Columbia,  for  the  license  granted  us  to  hunt  animals  pro- 
tected by  the  provincial  game  laws. 

We  had  intended  to  descend  the  Big  Bend  of  the  Columbia, 
but  this  plan  was  abandoned  when  we  found  that  there  was  no 
suitable  boat  at  Donald.     We  then  engaged  an  old  hunter  and 


VI 


PREFACE 


prospector  as  guide  at  "gold  prices  "  and  set  off  on  foot  to 
ascend  a  spur  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  seven  miles  from  the 
village,  where  mountain  goats  were  said  to  be  found.  There 
was  no  trail  for  pack  horses,  so  we  packed  our  outfit  on  our 
backs.  After  two  days  of  hard  climbing,  a  part  of  the  way 
through  an  almost  impenetrable  jungle,  we  reached  the  timber 
line  and  encamped  on  the  sharp  crest  of  a  long  ridge  which 
was  covered  in  places  with  banks  of  perpetual  snow.  From 
our  camp  seven  glaciers  were  visible  on  neighboring  peaks. 
The  mDuntains  bounded  the  horizon  on  every  side.  The  broad 
valley  of  the  Columbia  between  us  and  the  Selkirks  was  some- 
times obscured  by  clouds  that  frequently  rose  and  enveloped 
us  in  mist,  rain,  or  snow.  The  grandeur  and  magnificence  of 
the  situation  hardly  compensated  for  the  discomforts  of  a 
shelterless  camp. 

We  remained  there  until  our  provision  was  exhausted.  We 
secured,  during  that  fortnight,  specimens  of  the  mountain  goat,, 
Haploceros  ntotitafius,  woodchuck,  porcupine,  Erethizon  dorsatusy 
etc.  Woodchucks  were  very  abundant  above  the  timber  line. 
On  one  occasion  I  saw  fifteen  in  a  smgle  group.  The  timid 
squeak  of  the  little  chief  hare  was  often  heard,  but,  owing  to 
its  wariness  only  one  specimen  was  obtained. 

We  reached  Winnipeg  August  15th,  whence  Professor  Smith 
returned  to  Iowa,  and  where  I  spent  several  days  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  my  collecting  outfit  from  Iowa  City. 

I  am  indebted  to  many  friends  for  assistance.  I  wish  espe- 
cially to  render  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the  kndness 
shown  me  by  President  Chas.  A.  Schaeffer,  and  Professor  C. 
C.  Nutting,  without  whose  substantial  aid  and  encouraging 
letters  the  expedition  must  have  been  a  failure.  I  must  thank 
the  many  students  and  members  of  the  faculty  who  contributed 
toward  the  fund  which  was  so  greatly  need.°;d  for  the  purchase 
of  additional  supplies  for  the  second  year;  and  the  citizens  of 
Iowa  City  and  members  of  the  University  for  the  warm  recep- 


1 


PREFACE 


)n  foot  to 
'  from  the 
d.     There 
fit  on  our 
f  the  way 
he  timber 
ge  which 
V.     From 
»g  peaks, 
he  broad 
as  some- 
iveloped 
cence  of 
rts  of  a 


vH 


tion  tendered  me  on  my  return.  For  kindly  assistance  in  the 
field  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  R.  MacFarlane,  Mr.  Joseph  Hodg- 
son, Mr.  William  Mackinlay,  of  Resolution,  Captain  J  W 
M.lls,  of  the  Steamer  "  Wrigley,"  and  many  other  officers  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  to  the  officers  of  the  Herschel 
Island  whaling  fleet:  Captains  H.  H.  Norwood.  E.  C  Murray 
and  E.  W.  Newth,  all  of  whom  either  gave  specimens  to  our 
museum  or  assisted  in  their  transportation. 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  December,  r8g6.  FraNK    RuSSELL. 


id.     We 
lin  goat, 
dorsatusy 
•er  line, 
e  timid 
wing  to 


li  espe- 
ndness 
sor  C. 
raging 
thank 
ibuted 
'chase 
ens  of 
ecep- 


TABLE  OV  CONTENTS 


CHAPTKR 

,       ^  .  PACiE 

I— Grand  Rapids 

n — The  Saskatchewan  Natives 

31 

III— Alberta  .... 

41 

I V— Athabasca  District 

V— Fort  Rae ^' 

68 

VI— Winter  Travel 

00 

VII— The  Musk-ox  Hunt    .     . 

108 

VIII— Down  the  Mackenzie 

IX-Ethnogkaphic  Notes  on  the  Northern  Athabascans      .     ,58 
X-Ethnological    Material   Secured  in   the  Hudson's  Bav 

Company's  Territory     .  ,„ 

168 

XI-Ethnological  Material  Secured  from  the  Eskimos    .     .     ,87 

XII— Myths  of  the  Wood  Crees 

..  201 

Natural  History— Mammals    . 

-23 

Birds      .     .     . 

253 

Fish    ... 

271 

^^•'*^"s 276 

f'oSSILS ,gj 


681 


/ '^- 


ff^Uf 


!-■    I 


»i.^. 


(■• 


-J 


■i?-" 


IN 


O* 


190 


I8S  VM«    fnm     If  «!■— »«lrt> 


— eTATUTt  niLU~ 


-^yy, 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


CHAPTER  I 

GRAND   RAPIDS 


ON  the  24th  of  August,  1892, 1  left  Selkirk,  Manitoba,  bound 
for  Grand  Rapids,  on  the  "Colville."  The  "Colville" 
had  been  engaged  for  many  years  in  carrying  freight  to  the 
Saskatchewan  River,  and,  of  late,  has  brought  frozen  white-fish 
from  the  stations  along  the  northwestern  shore  of  Lake  Winni- 
peg to  Selkirk,  the  present  southern  limit  of  navigation  on  the 
Red  River  of  the  North. 

On  the  following  day,  we  ran  into  the  harbor  at  Swampy 
Island  to  escape  a  northeast  gale  which  delayed  us  for  twenty- 
four  hours.  A  packing  company  has  erected  buildings  on  this 
island  and  an  extensive  fishery  is  carried  on  early  in  the  sea- 
son. In  August  the  station  is  abandoned  and  the  nets  are  set 
farther  north,  off  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan.  As  we  land- 
ed, we  were  met  by  a  number  of  Indian  dogs  which  had  been 
left  there  to  shift  for  themselves  during  the  summer.  Gaunt 
and  hollow-eyed,  they  patrolled  the  beach  in  search  of  the 
chance  fish  which  might  have  been  cast  up  by  the  waves.  Peli- 
can Island,  a  noted  breeding  place  of  the  white  pelican,  lies  just 
north  of  "Swampy"  harbor. 

The  passage  across  the  broad  upper  lake  was  a  stormy  one. 
The  "Colville"  fully  sustained  her  reputation  of  "the  worst 
roller  on  the  lake."  The  narrow  hull  and  flat  bottom  required 
to  pass  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River,  made  the  boat 
very  uncomfortable  and  even  unsafe  in  heavy  seas. 

We  reached  the  fishing  station  at  Grand  Rapids  on  the  29th 
of  August.  The  buildings  stand  at  the  narrow  mouth  of  the 
Saskatchewan  and  are  used  for  a  few  weeks  only  each  year. 


h 


2  EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  establishment  is  situated  a  mile 
and  a  half  above  the  "Fishery."  It  consists  of  two  empty 
warehouses  at  the  steamboat  landing,  unused  since  the  Cana- 
dian Pacific  Railway  diverted  the  stream  of  traffic  from  the 
Saskatchewan,  and  three  log  cabins,  one  of  which  is  known  as 
the  "store,"  another  as  the  "big  house,"  or  clerk's  residence, 
and  the  third  is  too  old  and  dilapidated  for  winter  occupancy, 
but  I  was  compelled  to  lodge  there  as  the  big  house  was  very 
small.  My  cabin  was  built  of  hewed  logs,  chinked  with  moss 
and  daubed  with  clay.  The  autumnal  "mudding"  was  poorly 
done,  and  the  second  wash  with  muddy  water,  which  is  usually 
applied  after  the  frosts  have  come,  failed  to  fill  the  cracks. 
The  floor  was  loose  and  allowed  currents  of  cold  air  to  rise  con- 
tinually, which  the  big  box  stove,  though  heated  to  a  cherry 
red  could  not  overcome.  The  earth-floored  Indian  huts  were 
much  warmer,  though  heated  only  by  narrow  fireplaces. 

Before  leaving  Winnipeg  I  had  obtained  a  letter  of  credit 
from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or  the  "Company,"  as  it  is 
known  in  the  north,  which  enabled  me  to  obtain  supplies  from 
any  post  in  Cumberland  District, — embracing  the  Lower  Sas- 
katchewan and  the  country  northward  to  Reindeer  Lake. 
Trade  with  the  natives  is  carried  on  by  barter.  There  is  no 
"sooneyow"  (money)  in  circulation,  though  values  are  reckoned 
in  dollars  and  cents. 

I  began  collecting  the  day  after  my  arrival,  with  the  intention 
of  making  as  complete  a  list  as  possible  of  the  birds  of  that 
locality.  I  usually  spent  the  forenoon  in  the  bush  and  the 
afternoon  in  making  up  the  ten  or  twelve  "skins."  "Old' 
Joe  Atkinson,  an  English  metis  from  Hudson's  Bay,  would 
watch  me  by  the  hour,  te-heeing  with  delight  as  each  specimen 
was  prepared  and  placed  in  its  fluffy,  cotton  shroud  on  the  dry- 
ing shelves.  But  the  natives  never  quite  understood  why  I 
wished  to  collect  the  "pe-yas-is-ak" — little  birds. 

The  time  was  not  all  occupied,  however,  in  collecting  birds. 
Though  I  was  well  acquainted  with  the  topography  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  owing  to  my  residence  there  during  the 
summer  of  '91,  I  had  not  yet  found  any  human  remains  that 
could  be  identified  with  certainty  as  belonging  to  Crees  of 
unmixed  blood.  Early  in  September,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
discover  several  burial  places. 


GRAND    RAPIDS 


The  post  is  situated  a  mile  below  the  Grand  Rapids,  which 
are  three  and  a  half  miles  in  length.  A  trail  had  been  made 
along  each  bank  of  the  river  by  the  Indian  fishermen  who  re- 
sort to  the  rapids  to  "scoop"  white-fish.  Beside  this  path,  at 
the  foot  of  the  rapids,  lay  a  heap  of  brush,  which,  I  was  told, 
marked  "^he  resting  place  of  an  old  chief  who,  when  dying,  had 
directed  that  his  people  should  lay  him  to  rest  beside  the  sing- 
ing waters,  and  that  everyone  in  passing  should  break  a  twig 
and  throw  it  upon  his  grave.  So  faithfully  had  his  wish  been 
complied  with  that  a  heap  of  brush  three  feet  in  height  had 
been  accumulated.  The  tradition  added  to  the  probability  that 
the  grave  contained  the  remains  of  aCree  of  pure  blood.  Any 
investigation  on  my  part,  had  it  become  known,  would  have 
made  further  residence  at  Grand  Rapids  very  unpleasant.  I 
proceeded,  therefore,  to  examine  the  place  alone.  Clearing 
away  the  rubbish  and  a  poplar  tree,  six  inches  in  diameter, 
which  grew  directly  over  the  grrve,  a  number  of  flat  stones  were 
exposed.  After  digging  through  three  »"eet  of  sandy  loam,  a 
mass  of  decayed  birch-bark  was  disclosed,  under  which  lay  the 
skeleton,  reclining  upon  the  left  side  with  the  legs  drawn  up. 
The  head  was  towards  the  east.  A  small  neatly  carved  pipe  of 
dark  fine-grained  schist  lay  beside  the  skull.  A  few  flakes  of 
rust  —  all  that  remained  of  a  knife — and  a  couple  of  ounces  of 
shot,  indicated  that  his  death  had  occurred  since  the  advent  of 
the  whites. 

A  few  days  later  another  grave  was  discovered  a  half  mile 
farther  up  the  river,  A  French  metis  had  broken  through  the 
turf,  disclosing  the  skull,  at  sight  of  which  he  had  fled  in  super- 
stitious terror.  After  some  searching  I  found  the  grave  in  a 
little  opening  among  the  pines,  unmarked,  and  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  bank  of  the  stream.  The  skeleton  was  drawn 
up  in  nearly  a  sitting  position,  with  the  head  towards  the  south- 
east. Beside  it  were  found  the  crumbling  remains  of  a  loon's 
skull  and  a  rude  stone  pipe-bowl.  Mr.  Otis  J.  Klotz  mentions* 
the  occurrence  at  Grand  Rapids,  of  a  "few  pieces  of  broken 
pottery  which  were  found,  together  with  some  skeletons  and 
deer  horn  implements,  by  the  Indians,  while  digging  a  hole  for 
storing  next  season's  potatoes.  Their  date  must  be  pretty  old, 
for  the  present  generation  of  Indians  here  knows  nothing,  not 

M««.  Rpt.  Dep.  Int.,  1891.     Pt.  II,  p.  19. 


^  EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 

even  by  tradition,  of  the  art  of  pottery."  These  remains  were 
found  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  directly  opposite  the 
chief's  grave  mentioned  above.  They  were  buried  in  dry  white 
sand,  in  which,  after  further  search,  I  found  a  number  of  human 
bones,  which,  with  those  found  and  reinterred  by  the  Indians, 
comprised  one  skeleton  of  an  adult,  one  disarticulated  skull, 
and  the  skull  of  a  child  about  five  years  of  age.  The  crania  are 
distinctly  unlike  those  of  the  Crees,  as  the  measurements  else- 
where given  show.  It  seems  probable  that  these  remains  are  of 
the  people  that  occupied  the  country  before  the  Cree  invasion, 
and  whose  skeletons  and  pottery  are  found  in  the  Manitoba 
mounds.^ 

First  Noose  Hunt.  During  the  month  of  September,  Napa- 
sis  ("Boy"),  the  best  hunter  on  the  reserve,  killed  several 
moose  in  the  muskeg,^  south  of  the  post.  Through  the  efforts 
of  Professor  Nutting,  during  the  preceding  year,  we  had 
secured  two  mountable  moose-skins,  but  more  were  needed  to 
complete  a  series,  so  I  proposed  to  Napasis  that  he  should 
"show  me  how  to  kill  moose."  I  knew  from  the  experience  of 
the  others  that  he  would  be  quite  willing  to  lead  me  through  the 
swamps  as  long  as  his  pay  was  contiiiued,  and  that  if  he  found 
moose  he  would  probably  guide  me  away  from  them.  Why 
should  he  give  me  a  moose  that  he  could  come  next  day  and 
kill  for  himself?  I  therefore  agreed  to  pay  him  a  dollar  and  a 
half  a  day,  to  buy  the  moose  that  he  should  kill,  and  to  give 
him  a  "present,"  which,  as  it  seems  to  be  something  for  noth- 
ing, is  usually  more  talked  about  when  making  the  contract, 
and  more  highly  valued  than  the  wages  paid. 

^Dr.  Bryce  considers  this  earlier  race  to  have  been  probably  "Toltecan," 
and  gives  the  northern  limit  of  the  country  occupied  by  them  at  52°;  this 
should  perhaps  be  extended  to  54°.  "The  Winnipeg  Mound  Region," 
Report  A.  A.  A.  Sc.  i88g,  p.  344. 

•The  muskeg  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  northern  topography.  From 
the  International  Boundary  to  the  Arctic  Sea  the  term  is  applied  to  alluvial 
areas  with  insufficient  drainage  over  which  moss  has  accumulated  to  a  con- 
siderable depth.  These  swamps  are  usually  covered  with  *amaracli  and 
fir  trees.  The  typical  muskog  is  traversed  by  meandering  streams  having 
deep  channels  but  a  scarcely  perceptible  current.  Stagnant  pools  become 
coated  over  with  moss  of  sufficient  strength  to  temporarily  sustain  the 
weight  of  a  man.  In  places  the  surface  is  broken  by  tall  hummocks,  the 
teies  des-temmes  of  the  voyageur,  which  turn  under  the  foot,  and  sooner  or 
later  precipitate  the  passing  pedestrian  into  the  mud  or  water  below. 


GRAND   RAPIDS 


We  set  off  in  an  old  leaky  birch  canoe,  on  the  25th  of  Sep- 
tember. We  were  to  follow  the  lake  shore  to  the  base  of  Long 
Point,  twenty-five  miles  southeast  of  the  post.  This  n.  vv 
peninsula  was  appropriately  named  by  Mackenzie,  who,  in  1801, 
passed  around  the  head  of  it,  which  projects  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  main  line  of  the  coast.  It  is  only  five  miles  wide  and 
its  central  ridge  of  limestone  is  flanked  on  the  north  by  a  mus- 
keg which  gradually  descends  to  the  swampy  little  bays  which 
are  enclosed  by  a  barrier  beach  of  sand. 

The  Indians  were  establishing  their  camps  along  the  shore 
of  the  lake  for  the  fall  fishing,  as  we  passed.  The  north  wind 
blew  raw  and  chill;  the  mosquitoes  had  given  place  to  sand- 
flies; the  smoky  haze,  the  whistling  wings  of  the  migratory 
water  fowl,  all  betokened  the  approach  of  winter. 

After  our  "metsook"  of  bacon,  bread  and  tea,  Napasis  spent 
the  evening  in  making  "cakes."  He  used  two  canoe  paddles 
for  a  kneading  board  and  a  frying  pan  for  an  oven. 

We  ate  our  metsook  at  sunrise  the  next  morning  and  started 
across  the  muskeg.  We  found  abundant  signs  of  the  presence 
of  moose  as  we  climbed  over  fallen  trees  and  plodded  through 
swamps,  sinking  deep  in  the  moss  at  every  step.  After  five 
hours  of  steady  tramping  we  returned  empty-handed  for  our 
midday  meal.  This  was  soon  dispatched  and  we  were  ready 
for  the  trail  again.  Napasis  led  at  a  rapid  pace,  while  I  fol- 
lowed in  his  footsteps  to  avoid  breaking  twigs,  the  sound  of 
which  would  have  frightened  the  moose. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  Napasis  discovered  a  fresh  track 
which  he  followed  until  he  became  satisfied  from  examining 
the  bushes  upon  which  the  animals  had  browsed,  that  they 
were  near  at  hand;  he  then  left  the  trail  and  pursued  a  course 
parallel  to  it  according  to  the  Indian  custom.  We  kept  on  for 
an  hour  when,  as  we  were  traversing  a  level  stretch  of  burned 
timber,  we  caught  sight  of  two  moose,  seventy-five  yards  dis- 
tant. Napasis  fired  at  the  exposed  flank  of  one  and  broke  a  leg. 
The  other  made  off,  and  I  supposed  that  it  would  soon  dis- 
tance us  and  began  to  empty  my  Winchester  towards  the  fleeing 
animal.  "  Nomuch"  shouted  '  apasis,  adding  several  emphatic 
phrases  which  he  translated  by  a  beckoning  sweep  of  his  arm 
as  he  began  to  run.  Hatless  and  breathless  we  fairly  flew  over 
brush  heaps  and  bogs.     After  a  run  of  half  a  mile  we  were 


w 


il 


5  EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 

again  within  range;  I  fired,  and  the  bullet  pierced  both  the 
right  fore  limb  and  the  heart  of  the  moose.  This  was  my  first 
moose,  and  I  had  secured  two  excellent  specimens,  and  felt 
justified  in  giving  vent  to  my  feelings  in  a  shout  of  triumph. 
Napasis,  too,  was  greatly  pleased,  and  talked  excitedly  in  unin- 
telligible Cree. 

The  next  morning  a  strong  breeze  prevented  our  returning 
to  the  post.  I  tried  to  induce  Napasis  to  continue  the  hunt,  but 
he  only  said  "aha" — yes — and  stupidly  grinned  at  the  proposi- 
tion. It  was  against  all  precedent  for  a  man  to  tramp  around 
another  day  after  meat  when  he  had  a  week's  supply  on  hand, 
so  he  spent  the  day  lying  on  his  back  singing  or  gorging  him- 
self with  moose  meat  and  cogos  (bacon).  The  next  morning 
we  worked  along  shore  half  way  to  the  post,  but  could  go  no 
further  against  the  strong  wind.  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of 
spending  the  night  where  we  were,  and  set  ofi  towards  the  post 
afoot,  intending  to  swim  the  entrances  of  two  deep  bays  that 
intervened.  On  reaching  the  first  of  these,  I  found  a  canoe 
lying  upon  the  beach,  and  pushing  back  through  the  fringe  of 
willows,  came  upon  an  Indian,  Peter  Turner,  seated  with  his 
wife  before  the  fire,  surrounded  by  five  half-naked  children. 
They  had  no  shelter  of  any  kind  to  protect  them  from  the 
chilling  wind.  A  pair  of  wet  and  very  ragged  moccasins  lying 
before  the  fire  told  that  the  man  had  been  hunting  through  the 
muskeg,  and  the  absence  of  the  simmering  kettle  showed  that 
he  had  been  unsuccessful.  Peter  was  much  amused  at  my  pre- 
dicament but  informed  me  in  very  bad  English  that  he  would 
set  me  across  the  bay  with  his  canoe  and  that  I  could  go  around 
the  next  one.  Fearing  that  I  would  lose  my  way,  he  accom- 
panied me  to  the  post.  He  moved  at  a  dog  trot,  which  I,  wear- 
ing a  pair  of  heavy  boots,  found  it  hard  to  maintain.  We 
passed  several  quaking  bogs  which  had  to  be  taken  at  a  run  or 
we  should  have  broken  through  the  crust  of  roots  and  moss 
and  quickly  sunk  into  oblivion.  We  passed  through  an  open 
meadow  where  a  winding  ribbon  of  open  wat6r  indicated  the 
presence  of  a  deep  and  sluggish  stream.  This  we  crossed  upon 
a  foot-log,  the  ends  of  which  were  afloat  in  two  feet  of  water 
with  nothing  to  prevent  its  rolling.  The  channel  was  fully  ten 
feet  deep,  but  with  a  pole  in  each  hand  and  rifles  slung  on  our 
backs,  we  succeeded  in  getting  across.     Within  half  a  mile  we 


GRAND    RAPIDS) 


i 

I 

■i 


encountered  another  stream  called  "Crow  duck"  (Cormorant) 
River,  which  we  crossed  in  a  similar  manner.  I  had  been 
travelling  since  day-break  and  my  water-logged  boots  were 
becoming  a  heavy,  chafing  burden  by  the  time  we  reached  the 
Saskatchewan.  The  river  with  its  mile-breadth  of  water,  rip- 
pling and  dancing  in  the  slarlight,  yet  hurrying  swiftly  on,  was 
the  last  barrier  between  us  and  the  post.  This  my  self-ap- 
pointed guide  ferried  me  safely  over.  As  he  pushed  out  again 
the  words  reached  me  in  the  darkness,  "I  go  back  to-night" 
accompanied  by  a  laugh,  as  if  that  ten  mile  tramp  through 
dangerous  swamps  was  a  huge  joke.  I  was  soon  enjoying 
liberal  doses  of  the  never  failing  remedy  of  the  North  for  cold 
and  dampness — hot  tea,  and  attacking  my  belated  supper  with 
a  sportsman's  appetite — a  possession  not  to  be  despised  in  such 
a  country. 

Second  Moose  Hunt.  On  the  third  of  October,  I  again  vis- 
ited Long  Point  acccompanied  by  a  French  metis,  who,  like 
myself,  wished  to  see  if  he  could  kill  a  moose  without  the  aid 
of  <.n  Indian  hunter.  We  reached  the  muskeg  where  we  were 
to  camp,  early  in  the  morning.  As  we  paddled  our  canoe  up 
a  small,  winding  stream  we  saw  many  moose  tracks  and  at  last 
decided  to  pitch  our  camp  beside  the  creek  and  continue  on  foot. 
We  found  a  few  minutes  later  that  in  unloading  the  canoe  we 
had  alarmed  a  moose  which  had  been  lying  at  the  water's  edge 
just  around  the  next  bend,  where  we  should  have  come  upon 
him  had  we  continued  a  few  yards  further,  but  he  was  out  of 
range  when  discovered,  and  it  would  have  been  useless  to  at- 
tempt pursuit.  The  stream  flowed  through  a  large  brule  in 
which  were  occasional  openings  and  clumps  of  green  timber. 
As  we  were  working  our  way  slowly  through  the  maze  of 
fallen  trees,  one  on  each  side  of  the  stream,  I  heard  the  report 
of  Louis'  rifle.  I  hastened  towards  him,  and  very  carelessly 
ran  into  a  little  open  meadow  when  I  ought  to  have  kept  my- 
self concealed  in  the  forest;  as  I  entered  it  a  frightened  moose, 
carrying  a  fine  pair  of  antlers  (not  the  largest  ones  that  I  ever 
saw),  appeared  upon  the  farther  side.  He  stopped  and  looked 
about  for  a  moment,  then  with  one  plunge  disappeared  in  the 
thicket,  quite  unharmed  by  the  too-hastily-aimed  bullet  sent 
after  him.  Louis  had  fired  at  a  cow  at  long  range  "just  to  see 
'er  jump." 


8 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


\ 


I 


* 


As  I  was  nearing  camp  alone  after  a  hard  day's  tramp  over 
the  yielding  moss,  I  saw  a  large  moose  in  an  opening  about  five 
hundred  yards  away.  He  was  walking  slowly,  feeding  as  he 
went.  At  that  distance  he  was  not  easily  distinguishable  from 
the  black  masses  of  earth  and  moss,  which  clung  to  the  up- 
turned roots  of  the  fallen  trees.  The  animal  was  crossing  a 
level  swamp,  an  almost  impenetrable  brule  in  which  charred 
tamarack  poles  prevented  a  rapid  and  silent  approach.  The 
sun  was  just  dipping  below  the  horizon  as  I  waded  across  the 
creek,  waist-deep  and  icy-cold — and  began  the  stalk.  There 
was  scarcely  a  breath  of  wind  to  prevent  the  moose  from  hear- 
ing the  least  sound,  so  that  I  expected  to  see  the  big-eared 
brute  make  off  at  any  moment,  yet  I  succeeded  in  approaching 
within  a  hundred  yards  without  alarming  him.  The  sand-flies 
embraced  the  opportunity  to  swarm  over  my  face  and  hands, 
where,  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  their  stings  were  un- 
noticed; later  when  their  presence  was  recalled  by  the  smart- 
ing pain,  I  realized  that  my  face  was  streaming  with  blood  as 
a  result  of  their  attacks.^ 

Vexed  at  the  previous  failures  of  the  day,  I  was  determined 
to  do  careful  shooting.  The  moose  started  at  my  first  shot; 
then  stood  swinging  his  head  while  I  ran  twenty  yards  towards 
him.  Taking  deliberate  aim  I  fired  again,  breaking  a  fore 
leg.  I  then  advanced  to  within  thirty  yards  of  the  moose  and 
fired  four  times  at  his  partially  exposed  side.  But  I  had  too 
great  confidence  in  the  killing  power  of  the  heavy  rifle  and, 
though  I  took  time  to  aim  as  carefully  as  possible,  did  not  take 
pains  to  work  around  opposite  his  side  that  I  might  strike  a 
vital  spot.  A  moment  before  I  fired  the  last  time  I  would  not 
have  taken  a  hundred  dollars  for  my  chance  of  getting  that 
pair  of  antlers,  which  were  the  largest  I  ever  saw;  a  moment 
later  I  would  have  given  as  much  for  another  cartridge.  The 
moose  stood  in  his  tracks  for  five  minutes,  and,  beginning  to 

'  "  How  can  I  possibly  give  an  idea  ot  the  torment  we  endured  from  tiie 
sand-flies?  As  we  dived  into  the  confined  and  suffocating  chasms  or  waded 
through  the  close  swamps,  they  rose  in  clouds  actually  darkening  the 
air;  to  see  or  to  speak  was  equally  difficult,  for  they  rushed  at  every  unde^ 
fended  part,  and  fixed  their  poisoned  fangs  in  an  instant.  Our  faces 
streamed  with  blood  as  if  leeches  had  been  applied;  and  there  was  a  burn- 
ing and  irritating  pain,  followed  by  immediate  inflammation,  and  producing 
giddiness,  which  almost  drove  us  mad." — Back,  Narrative^  p.  179. 


:  t  I 


GRAND    RAPIDS 


hope  that  he  was  too  seriously  wounded  to  escape,  I  started 
after  ammunition  which,  of  course,  I  should  have  had  with  me. 
At  last  he  slowly  started,  hobbling  painfully  upon  three  legs. 
I  followed  him  for  two  miles  and  succeeded  in  turning  him 
twice,  but  never  near  the  camp;  at  last  he  entered  an  abomi- 
nable jungle  of  fallen  trees,  where  I  had  to  abandon  pursuit  in 
the  growing  darkness  as  he  was  every  moment  increasing  his 
pace.  We  were  unable  next  day,  in  such  a  maze  of  tracks,  to 
follow  his  trail,  and  a  fine  specimen  was  thus  lost  to  science 
through  my  poor  shooting.  I  was  somewhat  chagrined,  as  I 
had  rather  prided  myself  on  my  success  of  the  preceding  week. 
The  peculiar  behavior  of  the  animal  seemed  to  me  to  be  worthy 
of  record.  Though  I  lost  the  moose  the  experience  has  been 
of  value.* 

Louis  came  in  later  and  reported  having  seen  four  red  deer 
during  the  afternoon.  We  had  stumbled  upon  our  game  with- 
out the  aid  of  Indian  hunters,  there  was  some  comfort  in  that, 
but  to  let  it  escape  so  easily  marked  us  as  "  nesoo  mo-ni-as-uk" 
— two  greenhorns — of  the  most  verdant  type. 

We  remained  a  few  days  longer  in  camp,  unable  to  continue 
the  hunt  owing  to  the  calm  weather.  His  scent  is  so  keen,  that 
it  is  practically  impossible  to  approach  a  moose  in  the  muskeg 
unless  there  is  a  wind  blowing.  During  the  nights  (clear  and 
frosty)  the  moose  sometimes  came  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
our  tent,  where  we  could  hear  them  tramping  about.  I  sug- 
gested fire-hunting  to  my  companions,  who  declared  that  they 
would  immediately  leave  the  neighborhood,  if  we  attempted  it, 
and  that  the  Indians  never  resorted  to  this  method  of  hunting. 
I  very  much  regret  that  we  did  not  try  it  as  the  day  fixed  for 
our  return  arrived  before  the  weather  permitted  us  to  reenter 
the  muskeg.  On  the  nth  of  October  we  were  favored  with  a 
southeast  wind  which,  however,  came  too  late  to  be  of  further 
service  than  to  drive  our  canoe  under  blanket  sail  toward  the 
post.  The  fresh  breeze  raised  a  sea,  over  which  our  little  birch 
canoe  rode  lightly  and  safely,  though  we  had  to  turn  it  to 
meet  the  curling  crests  of  the  largest  waves.     Twelve  miles 

1  Upon  my  return  to  the  post  I  learned  that  moose-skins  with  a  dozen 
bullet  holes  in  them  were  sometimes  traded  at  the  store.  I  heard  of  na- 
tives who  after  firing  ten  or  twelve  shots  at  a  moose  without  effect  had  then 
thrown  down  their  guns  and  climbed  a  tree,  fully  convinced  that  they  had 
been  shooting  at  the  devil  ! 


lO 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


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from  our  destination,  a  projecting  point,  terminated  by  a  line 
of  shoals,  necessitated  a  portage  of  a  few  yards.  We  were 
compelled  to  land  in  the  surf  of  the  exposed  beach.  Leaping 
into  the  water  at  a  favorable  moment  we  flung  a  few  heavy 
articles  ashore,  then  carried  up  the  canoe  before  another  wave 
could  take  us  off  our  feet  or  break  the  canoe  upon  the  rocks. 

Two  Cree  families  were  living  near  by  in  lodges  of  birch-bark 
and  rushes.  These  miserable  shelters  seemed  very  comfortable 
to  us  as  we  dried  our  garments  before  the  cheerful  fire.  The 
Indians  had  watched  our  landing  and  shook  their  heads  as  we 
spoke  of  continuing  the  journey.  In  rounding  the  next  point 
we  heartily  wished  that  we  had  heeded  their  advice,  as  the  rough 
seas  nearly  swamped  us  in  the  evening  darkness. 

The  Boat  Trip  to  Cedar  Lake.  For  a  few  days  after  return- 
ing from  Long  Point  I  spent  the  time  in  collecting  land-birds. 
The  water-birds  were  passing  southward  in  considerable  num- 
bers, but  there  were  no  feeding  grounds  nearer  than  the  delta  of 
the  Saskatchewan,  on  the  northwestern  shore  of  Cedar  Lake. 
I  had  visited  that  locality  during  the  summer  of  1891,  and  knew 
that  it  was  an  excellent  station  for  either  collector  or  sports- 
man. 

The  Company's  establishment,  known  as  "Cedar  Lake,"  and 
the  Indian  reserve  of  Chemawawin  ("a  seining  place"),  are 
surrounded  by  extensive  silted  flats  which  are  covered  with  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  rushes  and  grasses,  and  contain  many  small 
lakes,  about  which  the  cry  of  the  waterfowl  may  be  heard  from 
April  to  November.  Chief  trader  King,  then  in  charge  of 
Cedar  Lake  House,  sent  me  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  his 
post,  sixty  miles  distant.  In  the  hope  of  securing  both  speci- 
mens and  a  store  of  game  for  the  winter,  I  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. A  boat,  loaded  with  freight,  was  to  be  sent  up  from 
Grand  Rapids,  thus  affording  me  the  necessary  assistants  and 
means  of  transportation. 

On  the  15th  of  October  we  were  visited  by  one  of  the  worst 
storms  ever  known  in  that  region;  a  terrific  gale  from  the 
northeast  destroyed  docks  and  carried  away  boats.  The  low 
grounds,  where  the  natives  were  encamped,  engaged  in  the  "  fall 
fishery,"  were  flooded,  and  many  nets  were  lost.  This  gale 
swept  away  the  ducks  and  geese  from  Cedar  Lake,  but  we,  in 
blissful  ignorance  of  the  fact,  started  up  the  rapids  on  the  19th. 


GRAND   RAPIDS 


XI 


The  crew  consisted  of  three  metis  and  the  Cree  hunter,  Aleck 
Easter,  who  did  not  understand  a  word  of  English.  Our  craft 
was  a  metal  yawl  which  had  formerly  been  carried  by  one  of 
the  river  steamboats.  It  was  loaded  with  a  few  pieces  *  for  the 
river  posts. 

We  left  the  post  late  in  the  day,  according  to  the  custom  of 
northern  voyageurs.  This  is  an  excellent  plan,  for  no  amount  of 
forethought  on  your  part  will  insure  sufficient  preparation  on 
the  part  of  the  men  to  enable  you  to  get  away  early  in  the 
morning.  One  is  sure  to  sleep  badly  the  first  night,  and  if  he 
has  been  traveling  all  day  he  will  find  the  hardship  less  endur- 
able than  if  he  had  only  attempted  to  get  clear  of  the  post  be- 
fore pitching  camp. 

Our  boat  was  poled  through  five  miles  of  rapids  before  we 
halted  for  the  night.  The  snow  was  two  inches  deep,  the  men 
were  tired,  hungry,  and  wet  from  wading.  A  roaring  fire  soon  dis- 
pelled the  darkness,  and  a  few  minutes'  work  provided  spruce 
boughs  upon  which  to  spread  our  blankets.  The  next  morn- 
ing, after  "drinking  tea,"  as  breakfast  or  any  other  meal  is 
designated,  we  crossed  in  the  midst  of  the  rapids  and  continued 
by  means  of  the  tracking-line.  The  men  on  the  line  at  times 
waded  waist  deep  in  the  stream;  again,  they  crept  along  the 
face  of  the  limestone  escarpments,  at  the  base  of  which  the  cur- 
rent ran  deep  and  swift. 

We  used  the  oars  on  Cross  Lake,  which  is  about  seven  miles 
in  width,  its  northern  shore  not  visible  from  the  traverse.  The 
river  enters  the  lake  by  a  descent  of  about  five  feet,  which  forms 
the  rapids  known  as  the  Demi-charge.  Our  crew  was  small, 
and  not  even  a  "half-load"  could  be  tracked  up  the  rapids. 
After  carrying  the  freight  across  the  portage  of  two  hundred 
yards,  the  attempt  was  made  to  drag  the  boat  through  with 
three  men  on  the  line.  The  banks  were  obstructed  by  fallen 
trees,  over  which  the  tracking-lines  of  the  traders  have  been 
passed  for  over  a  century  without  anyone  ever  taking  the 
trouble  to  clear  away  a  single  branch.  The  men  tugged  at  the 
line  until  they  were  stretched  nearly  flat  on  the  rocks,  to  which 
they  clung  with  hands  and  moccasined  feet.  Just  as  the  boat 
was  on  the  last  ledge,  and  the  hitherto  derisive  shout  of  the 

'The  bundles  or  boxes,  averaging  ninety  pounds  each  in  weight,  in  which 
the  Company's  goods  are  packed,  are  Icnown  as  "pieces." 


12 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


I. 


I,,-. 


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steersman  of  "haul!  haul!  haul!"  changed  to  an  appeal,  the  line 
broke  and  the  boat  was  swept  back  and  an  ugly  hole  broken  in 
the  side  by  the  rocks  —  the  work  of  an  hour  was  undone  in  a  few 
seconds.  The  boat  was  repaired  with  tar  and  cloth,  and  a  sec- 
ond attempt  was  made.  The  whirling  waters  caught  the  heavy 
sweep,  which  swung  around  so  quickly  that  the  steersman  was 
hurled  into  the  midst  of  the  rapids.  Fortunately  he  was  not 
injured  and  regained  the  boat  as  it  dropped  down  stream.  The 
third  attempt  was  successful. 

The  following  day  we  reached  Cedar  Lake.^  We  were 
awakened  at  4  a.  m.  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  by  the 
steersman  who  insisted  that  we  push  on  with  the  oars  or  we 
should  be  "frozen  in"  before  we  reached  our  destination 
Shortly  after  daybreak  we  were  again  wind-bound,  and  the  day 
was  spent  in  camp  at  Rabbit  Point. 

The  days  were  now  invariably  cloudy,  but  the  wind  died 
away  in  the  evening  and  the  sky  cleared  so  that  we  could  see  to 
travel.  We  set  out  again  at  five  o'clock  pushing  on  through  the 
long  twilight  while  the  swell  still  rocked  our  little  craft,  into  the 
calm  of  the  winter  night. 

The  aurora  appeared  early  in  the  evening,  at  first  with  a 
broad  yellowish  band  along  the  northern  horizon;  this  crept 
upward,  folding  and  unfolding  like  some  uncanny  living  thing, 
then  tongues  and  sheets  of  flame  went  flashing  to  the  zenith, 
changing  rapidly  while  the  band  at  their  base  continued  its 
shifting.  The  frost  occupied  itself  with  exposed  parts  for 
awhile,  then  pierced  through  every  wrap,  and  it  not  only  looked 
but  felt  I'ke  a  sub-arctic  scene.  Every  half  hour  the  men  took 
their  "spell,"  resting  long  enough  to  cut  up  and  smoke  a  pipe- 
ful of  tobacco  or  kinnikinic. 

We  reached  Chemawawin  on  the  morring  of  the  fifth  day. 
We  learned  that  only  a  few  ducks  had  been  seen  since  the  gale, 

1  "Cedar  Lake  (so  called  from  the  occasional  groves  of  cedar — a  tree  rarely 
seen  in  Rupert's  Land — growing  on  its  shores,  particularly  at  its  western 
extremity),  is  an  expanse  of  water  of  considerable  extent  in  which  the 
turbid  waters  of  the  Saskatchewan  are  allowed  to  disseminate  and  settle 
before  uniting  into  one  great  river  and  rushing  down  the  Grand  Rapids 
into  Lake  Winnipeg." — Hind,  Hpt.  on  the  N.  W.  Ter.,  p.  76.  It  was  called 
Lac  Bourbon  by  the  early  Canadians.  "C'est  en  1728  que  M.  de  Reveren- 
dle  decouvrit  ce  lac  et  lui  Jonna  le  nom  lac  Bourbon,  (en  anglais  Cedar 
Lake)." — Faraud,  Henry,  "  Dix-huit  ans  chez  les  Sattvages,''^  p.  70. 


GRAND    RAPIDS 


T3 


and  that  these  had  been  hunted  by  the  natives  until  they  had 
become  very  wary.  With  Donald  and  Aleck  I  set  off  in  a  birch 
canoe  to  try  and  bag  a  few  of  them.  On  our  way  the  "boys" 
amused  themselves  by  firing  at  the  muskrats,  which  were  more 
abundant  than  the  ducks.  More  than  one  rat  was  blown  to 
pieces  and  the  pelt  ruined,  of  course.  This  seemed  to  afford 
the  keenest  delight  to  my  crew.  We  were  to  take  our  stand  on 
an  island  tc  each  which  we  must  cross  a  half-mile  of  shallow 
water,  now  covered  with  thin  ice.  Donald  soon  wore  out  a 
paddle  in  breaking  through  it.  Half  way  to  the  island  we  be- 
gan to  drag  on  the  muddy  bottom;  the  men  sprang  out  and 
dragged  the  canoe  forward,  breaking  the  ice  with  their  bare 
feet.  I  had  not  yet  become  accustomed  to  wading  in  ice 
water,  and  when  the  canoe  stuck  hard  and  fast  several  hundred 
yards  from  shore,  I  hesitated  about  getting  into  ti.e  water. 
Donald  was  quite  willing  to  carry  me,  but  he  sank  so  deeply  in 
the  mud  that  I  was  at  last  compelled  to  wade.  Two  years  later 
I  would  have  taken  it  as  an  every  day  matter,  but  at  the  time  I 
considered  it  a  hardship.  I  gave  the  boys  a  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion with  which  to  hunt  on  their  own  account.  The  metis, 
Louis,  also  made  a  "stand"  near  us.  If  the  game  secured  had 
been  in  proportion  to  the  powder  burned  by  the  four  guns  that 
day,  I  would  have  recorded  here  the  result  of  our  efforts, — any- 
one wishing  further  information  concerning  the  avifauna  of 
Chemawawin,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1892,  is  respectfully 
referred  to  my  private  journal! 

The  next  morning  a  fair  wind  enabled  us  to  set  sail  for  home. 
At  e^ven  o'clock  on  the  second  day  we  were  in  sight  of  the 
tramway  above  the  Grand  Rapids,  when  Aleck,  ever  on  the 
lookout  for  game,  pointed  to  a  moving  object  at  the  water's 
edge  a  mile  below,  and  said  "mooswa."  It  was  a  young  moose 
of  the  season,  a  specimen  which  I  was  particularly  desirous  of 
obtaining  to  complete  our  series.  Aleck  had  left  his  gun  at 
his  camp  up  the  river,  but  as  he  had  killed  sixty-nine  more 
moose  in  the  last  six  months  than  I  had,  I  thought  it  surer  to 
send  him  after  the  game  with  my  Winchester  than  to  go  my- 
self. Aleck  seemed  greatly  excited,  not  nervously  so,  but 
with  the  eagerness  of  the  well-trained  hunter.  The  moose 
entered  the  woods  with  the  boy  in  close  pursuit;  soon  after  we 
heard  a  shot  and  saw  the  wounded  animal  dash  into  the  river. 


M 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


RiVi 


la-' 


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We  sprang  to  the  oars  and  hastened  towards  it,  soon  finding, 
however,  that  it  was  floating,  lifeless,  its  skull  shattered  by  the 
heavy  ball.  All  hands  laying  hold,  we  dragged  it  into  the  boat, 
and  a  few  minutes  later  were  at  the  end  of  the  tramway  across 
the  portage,  where  we  loaded  it  on  a  car  and  carried  it  to  my 
very  door. 

In  November  I  continued  the  daily  field  work,  collecting 
birds  and  small  mammals.  The  chickaree,  or  red  squirrel,  the 
anikwichas  of  the  Crees,  was  quite  abundant;  its  defiant  chatter 
might  be  heard  on  any  fair  day  throughout  the  winter.  I  also 
snared  a  number  of  northern  hares.  These  animals  are  seem- 
ingly very  fond  of  twine.  During  the  first  night  they  were  set, 
fifteen  of  the  nineteen  snares  were  cut  and  chewed  by  the 
animals  which  they  were  intended  to  capture.  The  Indians 
sometimes  rub  ermine's  liver  on  the  snares  to  prevent  their  being 
eaten,  but  usually  a  large  number  are  set,  and  patiently  re- 
newed if  destroyed.  At  least  half  the  hares  are  caught  by  the 
hind  legs  in  passmg  through  the  snare;  as  a  result  their  flesh 
has  an  indescribably  disagreeable  flavor  which  is  not  found  in 
those  caught  by  the  neck. 

During  my  morning  hunts  I  frequently  walked  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles,  and  found  more  and  more  difficulty  in  securing 
specimens  enough  to  occupy  my  attention  during  the  rest  of 
the  day. 

During  the  morning  hunt  of  November  2ist,  my  face  was 
frost-bitten  for  the  first  time.  Snow  fell  nearly  every  day  and 
accumulated  to  such  a  depth  that  travel  through  the  bush  be- 
came very  fatiguing.  My  journal  contains  the  following  entry 
for  December  6th:  "Spent  the  afternoon  in  the  field,  secured 
one  red-poll !  I  left  the  portage  trail  to  hunt  in  the  bush,  found 
it  almost  impossible  to  manage  my  small  snow-shoes  in  the 
soft  snow  and  took  them  off  only  to  find  myself  sinking  waist 
deep  in  the  snow!  Alphonse  Propontier  remarked  this  morn- 
ing that  during  a  residence  here  of  twenty-three  years  he  had 
never  before  seen  the  snow  so  deep  at  this  season."  Under 
such  circumstances  the  collection  of  birds  became  unprofitable 
as  the  number  of  species  was  reduced  to  the  few  winter  residents. 

Dog  Driving:.  On  the  i6th  of  November,  I  took  my  first 
lesson  in  dog  driving.  Even  then  I  felt  an  anticipatory  chill 
at  the  thought  of  the  hundreds  of  miles  of  that  kind  of  travel- 


inding, 
by  the 
e  boat, 
across 
to  my 

acting 
2I,  the 
ihatter 
I  also 
seem- 
re  set, 
y  the 
idians 
being 
\y  re- 
)y  the 
flesh 
nd  in 

en  or 
uring 
;st  of 


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and 
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ound 
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first 
chill 
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A    C.IDDi;    IN    SIMMICR    *.()M)ITI(>\. 


GRAND    RAPIDS 


15 


ing  in  store  for  me.  Our  team  was  composed  of  four  dogs, 
harnessed  one  before  another.  The  Eskimo  method  of  driving 
them  in  packs  with  a  trace  for  each  dog,  is  never  employed  by 
the  Indians  ^  the  Canadian  Northwest,  who  alwajs  drive  them 
tandem. 

Two  of  the  team  require  special  training.  Tne  leader,  called 
the  foregoer,  sets  the  pace  and  changes  his  course  at  a  word 
from  the  driver  who,  whatever  his  nationality  ma}'  be,  speaks 
to  his  dogs  in  the  French  patois  of  the  North. 

Hii  and  chac,  anglicised  to  "jou"  and  "chaw"  are  the  words 
necessary  to  turn  the  foregoer  to  the  right  or  left.  The  dogs 
are  started  by  the  command  marche,  though  a  few  of  the 
northern  Indians  still  use  the  Athabascan  word  of  command, 
—  M'ni  t-la.  The  "sled  dog,"  usually  the  heaviest  in  the  team 
is  trained  to  swing  the  head  of  the  sled  away  from  obstacles;  it 
is  important  that  he  should  be  well  trained  when  following  a 
crooked  track  through  the  forest.  A  team  which  has  been 
trained  together  is  much  better  than  a  "picked-up  team,"  as 
the  dogs  have  a  uniform  pace,  are  less  apt  to  fight  each  other, 
and  will  unite  against  all  comers  for  self  protection. 

The  Northern  dog  is  alvvaj's  a  draft  animal.  Regardless  of 
age,  sex  or  birth,  his  destiny  is  to  haul.  I  have  seen  ever)-  vari- 
ety, from  a  greyhound  to  a  water  spaniel,  toiling  painfully 
along  in  the  harness.  Most  of  them  are  of  the  wolfish  breed 
known  as  Indian  dogs,  or,  in  the  far  North, — giddes;  these  are 
smaller  and  more  uniform  in  color  than  those  kept  by  the 
whites.  The  latter  are  of  a  variety  of  colors,  and  all  dislike 
work,  particularly  the  yellow  ones  !  The  dogs  of  Mackenzie 
District  are  the  largest  and  best  trained  of  all  that  I  saw  in  the 
North.  They  have  been  bred  especially  for  hauling  upon  the 
established  routes  of  travel,  where  weight,  rather  than  endur- 
ance, is  desired.  Many  of  them  have  been  disfigured  by  hav- 
fng  their  tails  docked.  The  brush  is  a  great  protection  to  the 
nose  and  feet  of  the  animals  when  lying  curled  up  in  the  snow, 
exposed  as  they  are  to  the  lowest  temperatures,  and  the  loss  of 
it  through  this  senseless  practice,  causes  much  needless  suffer- 
ing. Some  of  them  are  tricky,  making  a  great  pretense  of 
straining  at  the  collar  while  really  hauling  very  little.  A  few 
are  willing  workers,  for  which  they  are  seldom  rewarded;  some 
are  vicious  brutes  and  have  to  be  stunned  by  a  blow  upon  the 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


nose  before  they  can  be  harnessed.  All  are  accustomed  to- 
fight  their  way  through  summers  of  starvation  and  winters  of 
ill-treatment,  hunger  and  the  whip.  Frost  or  the  teeth  of  foes 
mark  their  ears  early  in  life.  Their  heads  are  battered  with 
the  whip  stock  or  "willow" — any  convenient  club.  Not  unfre- 
quently  they  are  killed  in  harness  and  thrown  out  with  brutal 
indifference  by  the  wayside.  The  method  of  harnessing  renders 
them  more  easily  controlled  than  are  the  Eskimo  dogs.  A 
dog  may  tug  wildly  aside  to  escape  the  descending  lash  but  he 
is  too  closely  held  to  escape  and  is  soon  lying  prostrate,  his 
head  under  his  fore-legs,  howling  until  the  driver's  feelings  are. 
relieved  or  he  is  beaten  into  insensibility. 

The  Indian  dogs  haul  much  heavier  loads  than  would  be 
thought  possible  from  their  appearance.  A  team  of  four  dogs 
which  I  drove  the  following  winter,  hauled  a  load  of  over  five 
hundred  pounds  across  four  hundred  miles  of  hilly  country, 
without  a  track  for  the  sled  and  with  a  short  allowance  of  food. 
On  November  6th,  1857,  Mr.  Lawrence  Clark  brought  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-two  pounds  of  meat  into  Rae  with  three 
dogs;  this  was  on  a  level,  beaten  track.  At  Simpson,  one 
thousand  pounds  were  hauled  by  four  dogs,  but  it  was  merely 
a  trial  on  a  good  track  to  see  if  the  team  could  haul  half  a  ton„ 
and  three  men  were  required  to  manage  the  sled.  One  hundred 
pounds  for  each  dog  is  considered  a  maximum  limit  on  hard 
snow. 

The  harness  used  by  the  Company  in  the  Northwest  may  be 
either  of  imported  leather  or  moose-skin.  The  Indians  use 
moose-  or  caribou-skin,  often  without  either  buckles  or  the  rod 
of  quarter-inch  iron  for  stiffening  the  circular  collar.  A  band 
over  the  back  holds  up  the  traces  and  another  under  the  breast 
is  intended  to  prevent  the  dog  from  escaping  from  the  harness 
which  he  sometimes  succeeds  in  doing,  upon  catching  sight  of 
caribou  or  in  struggling  to  avoid  the  whip.  The  traces,  of  three 
thicknesses  of  moose-skin,  are  long  enough  to  allow  a  space  of 
a  foot  between  the  dogs.  The  collars  are  surmounted  by  varie- 
gated pompons  and  the  dog  blankets  or  tapis,  are  elaborately 
beaded  or  embroidered.  From  one  to  one  hundred  bells  are 
attached  to  the  collars  and  back  straps  of  the  team;  even  the 
northernmost  Indians  manage  to  secure  two  or  three  bells  for 
each  dog. 


GRAND   RAPIDS 


17 


There  are  two  sleds  used,  the  cariole  for  passengers,  and  the 
flat  sled  for  freighting.  The  sled  itself,  which  is  the  same  in 
both,  is  made  of  either  birch  or  oak  in  the  Northwest  and  of 
birch  in  the  North.  It  is  about  eight  feet  long,  sixteen  inches 
wide  in  front,  and  fourteen  behind.  It  is  made  of  two  or  three 
boards  curved  upward  in  front  to  a  height  of  two  feet  and  then 
bent  abruptly  backward  and  downward;  four  or  five  crossbars 
strongly  bound  with  babiche — a  line  made  from  green  deer- 
skin— hold  it  together;  loops  of  babiche  are  placed  along  the 
sides  of  the  flat  sleds  through  which  the  lines  of  braided  deer- 
skin are  passed  in  diagonal  cross-lashings  to  bind  down  the 
load  which  is  contained  in  a  mooseskin  "wrapper."  The  cari- 
ole has  sides  of  moose  parchment  permanently  stretched  from 
the  front  to  a  board  of  equal  height  which  serves  as  a  back. 
Behind  this,  the  sled  projects  two  feet  or  more  and  affords 
room  for  the  driver  to  stand  when  showing  off  the  strength 
of  his  team,  on  his  arrival  at  a  settlement;  or,  upon  a  journey, 
without  an  accompanying  flat  sled,  the  fish  for  the  dogs  are 
piled  there.  The  curved  front  allows  just  enough  space  to 
admit  the  tea  and  cooking  kettles,  placed  one  within  the  other 
and  held  in  a  bag  fastened  by  a  drawing  string  at  the  top.  The 
cariole  is  a  narrow  portable  bed  in  which  the  traveller  may  sit 
or  recline  at  full  length  and  sleep  with  comparative  comfort, 
wrapped  in  robes  and  blankets.  It  is  usually  painted  in  as 
many  colors  as  can  be  obtained. 

Snow-Shoes.  I  made  my  first  attempt  at  snow-shoeing  on 
December  1st.  The  shoes  were  small  and  the  snow  soft  so 
that  they  tended  constantly  to  pitch  forward  and  catch  the 
upturned  front  under  the  snow.  The  disentanglement  of  a 
capsized  snow-shoe  in  soft  deep  snow,  is  not  easily  accom- 
plished. The  victim  fills  his  mittens  with  snow,  wrenches  his 
ankles,  and  breaks  his  snow-shoe  lines  in  his  efforts  to  right 
himself.  Many  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  use  of  Canadian 
snow-shoes  think  that  one  can  move  faster  on  them  by  taking 
a  sliding  step,  which  is,  of  course,  a  mistake,  as  they  are  not 
used  with  a  skating  motion  at  all.  They  are  a  positive  encum- 
brance which  must  be  raised  at  each  step  so  that  the  body  of 
the  shoe  may  be  clear  of  the  surface.  The  step  is  therefore 
higher  when  the  soft  snow  allows  the  shoe  to  sink;  it  is  length- 
ened with  large  shoes  which  glide  over  each  other  so  that  the 
feet  are  laterally  separated  but  little  more  than  usual. 
2 


i8 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


The  novice  in  the  art  of  snow-shoeing  is  fortunate  if  he 
escapes  the  painful  tnal  dc  racqiictte  or  "snow-shoe  sickness," 
caused  by  the  strain  on  the  muscles  and  tendons  of  the  lower 
leg,  in  carrying  the  unaccuston.ed  burden  attached  to  the  ball 
of  the  foot.  During  the  two  winters  spent  in  the  North  I  was 
five  times  afflicted  with  this  malad)-,  but  these  attacks,  except 
the  first,  were  due  to  hardships  which  also  affected  my  com- 
panions—  natives  —  in  a  similar  manner.  At  such  times  it 
seemed  as  if  m\'  ankle  joints  grated  dr)-  as  I  scraped  along  in 
the  torturing  dog-trot.  Trul\',  the  heavy  hunting  snow-shoe, 
or  an  ill-tied  one  of  an)-  sort  "is  a  weariness  to  the  flesh." 

The  snow-shoes  used  by  the  natives  between  the  Red  River 
and  the  Arctic  Circle  are  of  a  different  nattern  from  either  the 
round  framed  shoes  of  lower  Canada  or  the  finer  meshed 
snow-shoes  used  among  the  Loucheux  Indians.  They  are  nar- 
row, pointed  at  the  ends,  and  upturned  at  the  front.  The 
smallest,  for  use  in  walking  on  lakes,  the  Barren  Ground,  or 
in  the  sled  track,  are  barel)-  wide  enough  for  the  foot  to  rest 
clear  of  the  frames,  and  are  about  forty  inches  in  length.  The 
largest  hunting  snow-shoes  are  sixteen  inches  in  width  by  six 
feet  in  length.  The  frames  are  of  birch,  shaped  and  bent  while 
green,  dried  over  an  open  fire,  provided  with  three  to  five  cross- 
bars and  laced  with  babiche. 

Tea-Drinkinsf.  The  deep  snow  prevented  the  Indians  from 
*' making  fur."  Those  at  Cedar  Lake  who  relied  upon  their 
catch  of  muskrats  and  martens  for  means  to  purchase  flour 
were  reduced  to  the  verge  of  starvation.  When  relief  was 
brought  to  one  aged  widow,  who  had  been  living  for  months 
upon  the  few  rabbits  which  she  had  been  able  to  snare,  she 
made  no  complaint  of  hunger  but  loudly  bewailed  the  fact  that 
she  had  been  without  tea  for  several  days.  Tea  is  considered 
a  necessity  hy  all  Northern  Indians.  They  will  cheerfully 
undergo  the  greatest  hardships  in  the  service  of  a  "master"  if 
supplied  with  tea  and  tobacco,  but  when  these  fail  their  courage 
also  fails.  After  an  experience  of  two  years,  spent  in  arctic 
or  sub-arctic  regions,  I  can  testify  to  the  efficiency  of  tea  as  a 
stimulant  in  a  cold  climate.  It  was  wonderfully  helpful  in 
cases  of  extreme  fatigue.  No  depressing  effects  followed  its 
use  though  it  was  often  consumed  in  immoderate  quantities. 
The  muscles  as  well  as  the  nerves  were  acted  upon  and  its 


») 


i 


») 


/ 


GRAND   RAPIDS 


19 


potency  against  the  hardships  which  the  arctic  traveler  has  to 
encounter  was  fully  demonstrated.  With  a  meat  diet  it  is  far 
preferable  to  any  other  beverage;  as  the  natives  say,  "it  cuts 
the  grease."' 

Jack  Fiddler.  On  December  9th,  I  visited  Selkirk  Island, 
where  two  white  men  remained  during  the  winter  to  oversee 
the  Indian  crews  who  put  up  the  season's  ice  for  the  fisheries 
there.  Crossing  the  channel,  four  miles  in  width,  to  the  main- 
land, I  found  the  cabin  of  "Old  Jack  Fiddler,"  a  gray  haired 
and  bent  little  Englishman  who  lived  there  alone,  subsisting 
upon  the  fish  which  were  abundant  in  the  bay  before  his  door, 
I  visited  him  to  inquire  about  the  Great  Bear  Lake  country, 
where  I  thought  of  spending  the  following  winter.  Old  Jack 
had  accompanied  Sir  John  Richardson,  in  1848,  when  that  dis- 
tinguished explorer  descended  the  Mackenzie  and  followed  the 
Arctic  coast  as  far  eastward  as  the  Coppermine.  This  party, 
known  as  the  "Arctic  Searching  Expedition,"  had  wintered  at 
the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  Great  Bear  Lake  in  build- 
ings the)'  erected  upon  the  site  of  Fort  Confidence,  built  by 
Dease  and  Simpson  in  1837.  He  had  also  been  a  member  of 
Stewart  and  Anderson's  party  which  descended  the  Back  River 
in  1855.  He  had  suffered  much  hardship  upon  the  second  ex- 
pedition, which  had  passed  through  the  Barren  Ground  during 
the  season  of  heavy  rains.  The  rheumatism  there  contracted, 
still  afflicted  him  and  must  have  made  the  life  of  the  old  man 
almost  unendurable  in  that  solitary  cabin. 

I  had  walked  about  twenty  miles  upon  heavy  snow-shoes  on 
the  preceding  day  and  was  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  to  ride 
back  to  the  post  with  a  party  of  Indians  who  were  returning  to 
the  reserve  with  light  loads.  I  had  no  furs  or  rugs,  and  indeed, 
could  hardly  have  made  myself  comfortable  with  them,  seated 
upon  the  loaded  sled.  Before  we  had  accomplished  a  half  of 
the  fifteen-mile  traverse  I  had  become  too  cold  and  stiff  to  run 
and  too  stupid  and  indifferent  to  realize  that  I  was  quivering 
and  shaking  in  the  intensely  cold  wind  that  swept  across  the 

*  Admiral  Inglefield  strongly  commends  it.  "Seamen  with  me  up  the 
Wellington  Channel,  in  the  arctic  regions,  after  one  day's  experience  of 
rum  drinking,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  tea,  which  was  the  only  bever- 
age I  used,  was  much  preferable,  and  they  quickly  derived  great  advan- 
tage from  its  use  while  undergoing  hard  work  and  considerable  cold." 
Quoted  by  Reade,  Tea  and  Tea-Drinking,  p.  68. 


^i   k 


I 


H!il 


lit 
ii 


20 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


lake  and  that  I  ought  to  have  walked  and  disregarded  the 
opinions  of  the  men,  if  I  did  not  wish  to  prepare  myself  a 
future  as  unpleasant  as  that  of  Old  Jack. 

My  driver  stopped  every  mile  or  two  to  whip  his  dogs.  Not 
content  with  bringing  down  the  lash  with  all  his  strength  he 
clubbed  them  with  the  whip  handle  until  the  blood  appeared 
in  spots  on  their  heads  and  ran  from  their  nostrils. 


I) 


'     iU 


i  the 
elf  a 

Not 
th  he 
jared 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  SASKATCHEWAN  NATIVES 

DURING  the  months  of  January  and  February,  1893,  I  laid 
aside  the  shotgun  and  occupied  the  time  in  studying  and 
packing  the  collection,  and  in  visiting  the  natives. 

All  the  Indians  at  the  post  and  a  few  from  the  river  reserves 
were  engaged  in  the  ice  harvest  from  the  middle  of  November 
until  New-year.  The  most  of  them  were  at  Selkirk  Island,  but 
about  twenty  were  at  work  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  McLean,  the  genial  clerk  of  the  Grand  Rapids 
post.  They  gathered  at  daybreak  at  the  ice  houses  each  man 
with  his  sled  and  dog  team.  They  presented  a  grotesque 
appearance  as  they  dashed  up,  standing  upright  upon  the  sway- 
ing flat  sled,  cracking  their  whips  at  the  lean  and  snarling  curs. 
They  were  dressed  in  white  man's  clothing  except  the  comfort- 
able and  more  suitable  moccasins  and  the  capote  of  blue  cloth 
manufactured  expressly  for  the  Indian  trade. 

They  ate  their  lunch  of  fish  out  of  doors  and  seemed  as  indif- 
ferent to  their  own  comfort  as  to  that  of  their  dogs,  that  were 
allowed  to  lie  in  harness  and  shiver  in  the  snow  all  day.  After 
nightfall  they  all  came  to  the  Big  House  for  the  day's  wages,  or 
those  of  the  day's  to  come,  if  they  could  get  a  little  "debt" — 
credit.  They  filled  the  little  office  and  sat  crosslegged  upon 
the  floor,  talking  and  smoking,  while  the  clerk  took  one  man 
at  a  time  into  the  store  and  weighed  out  a  pound  of  bacon,  a 
little  flour,  etc.,  to  the  amount  of  his  day's  earnings. 

The  stores  are  never  heated  in  winter  on  account  of  the  vacil- 
lating nature  of  the  customers,  who  would  consume  too  much 
time  in  making  up  their  minds  about  their  purchases,  and  in  gaz- 
ing at  the  tempting  display  of  beads  and  ribbons  if  they  were 
not  literally  frozen  out.  One  or  two  violins  would  be  kept 
going  constantly  for  the  two  or  three  hours  that  they  occupied 

21 


-"■M 


22 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


t;i 


r'' 


the  office.  Every  French  metis  and  several  of  the  Indians 
could  play  jigs  and  reels  which  they  rendered  with  variations 
ad  libitum.  Sagames  ("Mosquito"),  a  tall  Indian  with  small 
skill  and  a  large  fund  of  humor,  usually  gained  the  most  ap- 
plause by  handling  the  violin  as  if  it  were  a  new  toy,  he  had 
then  met  for  the  first  time  and  which  through  his  manipulation 
evolved  various  discordant  squeaks  until  it  suddenly  burst 
forth  in  the  lively  strains  of  the  "double  jig." 

A  Metis  Wedding.  One  of  the  most  important  social  events 
of  the  year  was  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  of  Antoine  Char- 
tier,  an  old  eiigag^.  The  announcement  was  made  and  arrange- 
ments begun  to  make  it  an  affair  of  unparalleled  magnificence. 
The  reserve  was  upon  the  tiptoe  of  expectancy,  as  Old  Antoine 
was  known  to  have  a  little  credit  at  the  store.  On  the  day  pre- 
ceding the  important  date  the  bride  had  not  yet  made  up  her 
mind  whether  to  marry  or  not,  so  that  postponement  was  neces- 
sary. After  a  few  more  postponements.  Annette  decided  to  ac- 
cept Benjy's  proposal  and  \ht.festiti  was  prepared.  Being  a 
stranger  to  their  customs,  I  was  invited  to  attend;  the  mere 
announcement  was  sufficient  invitation  to  everyone  else  on  the 
reserve. 

The  guests  came,  not  with  presents,  but  with  a  great  yearn- 
ing for  the  free  dinner.  They  would  give  the  young  couple  a 
start  in  life  by  eating  the  entire  fortune,  then  upon  the  tables, 
of  both  families.  An  ox  had  been  killed,  and  two  hundred 
pounds  of  flour  baked  into  bannocks.  The  tables  were  loaded 
with  boiled  and  roasted  moose-meat  and  beef.  There  were 
plum  puddings  and  rice  puddings,  in  which  the  principal  in- 
gredients were  raisins  and  currants.  There  were  also  a  few  pies, 
and  cranberry  sauce  and  strawberry  and  raspberry  jam  in 
abundance.  Tea  in  unlimited  quantities  completed  the  menu. 
The  dinner  was  ready  at  four  in  the  afternoon.  As  soon  as 
one  tableful  was  temporarily  satisfied,  another  lot  irom  the 
group  outside  the  cabin  would  seat  themselves. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  clatter  of  the  fiddler's  feet  upon  the 
loose  boards  of  the  warehouse  floor  at  the  old  steamboat  land- 
ing indicated  the  opening  of  the  ball.  The  "orchestra  "  wore 
a  pair  of  heavy  "  English  shoes,"  as  the  imported  article  is 
called,  the  rub-a-dub  of  which,  in  beating  time,  drowned  the 
music  and  the  soft  shuffle  of  the  moccasined  dancers.     The 


1^ 


■  I  i 


the 

and- 

Iv^ore 

le  is 

the 

The 


I* 


'.1 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


23 


"hall"  had  a  few  benches  arranged  for  the  occasion  along  the 
walls,  and  was  illuminated  by  half  a  dozen  candles.  It  was  ex- 
hausting work  for  the  violinist  to  keep  both  feet  going  for  any 
length  of  time,  so  that  the  violin  soon  changed  hands.  Before 
morning  nearly  every  man  present,  including  the  groom  him- 
self, had  taken  his  turn.  Round  dances  were  not  indulged  in. 
The  jig  was  the  most  popular  dance  as  it  gave  great  opportun- 
ity for  the  display  of  individual  skill,  in  the  men  at  least,  who 
stamped,  shuffled  and  pirouetted  about  their  almost  motionless 
partners.  One  young  fellow,  about  six  feet  in  height,  was  of 
very  slender  build  and  his  legs  seemed  to  vibrate  in  unison 
with  the  violin  strings;  his  performance  would  have  received 
applause  before  any  audience,  nor  was  he  without  honor  in  his 
own  country.  The  men  wore  their  hats  throughout  the  even- 
ing and  usually  had  pipes  in  their  mouths.  In  forming  a  set 
for  a  reel,  they  chatted  and  smoked  for  awhile,  until,  as  if  sud- 
denly remembering  what  they  were  there  for,  each  selected  his 
partner  and  crooked  his  finger  at  her  as  a  signal;  whereupon 
she  took  her  place  beside  him;  if  she  hesitated  she  was  assisted 
— forcibly — to  the  floor.  The  bride  appeared  in  three  different 
costumes  during  the  evening.  The  first,  of  course,  was  the 
wedding  dress,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country  a  pres- 
ent from  the  groom;  in  return,  the  bride  had  made  a  pair  of 
fine  silk-worked  moccasins  for  him.  The  ball  closed  with  the 
kissing  dance,  a  ceremony  I  did  not  stay  to  witness. 

As  Antoine's  supplies  were  not  quite  exhausted  the  feast  and 
dance  were  repeated  on  the  following  eve?  ing.  There  was  very 
little  liquor  obtainable,  and  the  dancers,  vvcre  comparatively 
quiet,  except  for  a  few  yells  by  which  they  gave  vent  to  their 
exuberant  feelings,  while  in  the  violent  contortions  of  an  eight- 
hand  reel.  The  young  women  were  accompanied  by  their 
mothers  and  when  not  engaged  in  dancing,  remained  seated 
upon  the  floor  in  a  separate  group. 

New-year's  day  is  the  principal  holiday  in  the  calendar  for 
the  Indians  of  the  North.  The  wedding  "  festin  "  reduced  one 
or  two  families  to  the  point  of  starvation,  but  at  New-year  the 
whole  settlement  became  bankrupt.  The  Indians  have  readily 
adopted  the  custom,  somewhat  modified,  of  the  whites,  in  ob- 
servance of  the  day.  They  make  calls  in  the  morning  and 
gorge  themselves  with  food  and  great  quantities  of  tea;  the 


24 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


'i  1 


afternoon  is  spent  in  dog-racing  and  football,  and  in  the  even- 
ing occurs  the  dance  of  the  season.  New-year's  day  is  called 
O-che-mi-ki-se-ga  or  Kissing  Day,  as  it  is  the  custom  to  kiss 
everyone  on  that  day,  young  and  old.  This  would  be  more 
agreeable  if  one  were  allowed  a  little  more  discretion  in  his 
choice. 

In  the  morning  we  were  visited  by  a  party  of  boys  with  sacks 
in  which  to  carry  away  cakes  (bread).  No  sooner  were  they 
gone,  than  a  dozen  muskets  discharged  outside  the  door  an- 
nounced the  arrival  cf  the  men,  who  were  given  cakes,  or  meat 
and  tea,  at  every  house.  They  were  followed  by  the  women 
who  usually  finished  whatever  remained.  In  the  evening  at 
least  a  hundred  people  gathered  in  the  cabin  where  the  dance 
was  held  and  the  room  was  so  crowded  that  the  dancers  had 
very  little  space  left  them. 

Every  cent  of  "debt"  that  can  be  secured  Is  spent  upon 
flour,  bacon,  ti  ric^  raisins,  and  sugar,  and  for  one  day  Peter 
Mink  is  happ)  ven  though  he  starves  for  the  next  six.  Each 
woman  must  have  a  new  dress  and  each  man  appears  in  a  pair 
of  new  silk-worked  moccasms. 

Marriage.  Early  marriages  are  the  rule.  Policy  and  business 
considerations,  here  as  elsewhere,  have  their  influence  upon 
the  match.  Peter  Mink  must  have  someone  to  dress  moose- 
skins  and  make  moccasins  for  him.  Mary  Rabbitskin  is  a 
burden  the  paternal  Rabbitskin  would  gladly  relinquish  to  the 
care  of  Peter,  if  he  is  a  good  hunter.  The  affair  is  managed 
by  the  "old  wives,"  as  the  married  women  are  called. 

Just  before  I  arrived.  Grand  Rapids  had  been  profoundly 
stirred  by  its  first  breach  of  promise  case.  The  defendant's 
mother  urged  him  to  marry  the  plaintiff  but  it  was  only  after 
a  long  course  of  nagging  that  he  consented.  At  the  appointed 
time  his  heart  failed  him,  the  sacrifice  in  complying  with  his 
mother's  wishes  was  too  great.  He  took  to  the  bush,  flatly 
refusing  to  fulfill  his  promise.  Day  after  day  the  bride  awaited 
Donald's  coming  and  day  after  day  the  truant  bridegroom  be- 
took himself  to  the  muskeg,  until  the  plaintiff  presented  her 
grievance  before  the  Indian  agent,  praying  for  heavy  damages. 
The  magistrate  imposed  a  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars  and  ordered 
the  defendant  to  leave  the  reserve.  His  only  excuse  was  that 
he  loved  another.     Two  months  later  he  married  a  third  girl. 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


25 


I 


Houses.  The  peace-loving  Wood  Crees  have  readily  taken 
up  a  sedentary  life.  They  remain  in  cabins  upon  the  reserve 
throughout  the  year,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  who  move 
down  the  lake  during  the  fishing  season  or  spend  the  winter  in 
pursuit  of  game.  Before  he  was  "civilized"  the  Cree  moved 
his  lodge  of  deer  or  mooseskin  from  place  to  place,  so  that 
his  surroundings  were  always  fresh  and  clean.  His  habitation 
is  now  fixed,  but  so  are  the  old  habits,  and  the  filth  simply 
accumulates.  There  is  but  one  reserve  in  the  Lower  Saskatche- 
wan region  that  has  any  reputation  for  cleanliness — and  it  is 
occupied  by  "heathen"  Indians.  Each  house  has  usually  but 
one  room.  The  roof  of  poles  is  covered  with  earth;  this  does 
very  well  in  winter,  at  other  seasons  the  rain  soon  washes 
through.  Roofs  are  sometimes  made  of  spruce  bark,  but  these 
are  not  so  warm  in  winter.  The  door  is  closed  by  a  bar,  the 
latchstring  being  "always  out."  You  enter  without  knocking, 
of  course,  and  look  upon  a  small  cheerless  apartment.  There 
is  a  rude  fireplace  with  a  chimney  built  of  grass,  stones  and 
clay;  the  floor  is  rough  and  not  clean;  there  is  no  ceiling. 
Some  have  a  few  chairs,  dishes  and  a  stove,  and  stationary 
bunks  against  the  walls,  others  have  no  furniture  whatever. 
The  two  dirty  gray  blankets  which  cover  the  family  at  night 
are  aired  during  the  day  upon  the  nearest  tree.  They  sit  upon 
the  floor  when  eating  and  in  that  position  what  need  is  there 
of  a  table? 

In  summer  they  sometimes  abandon  the  house,  especially  if 
a  death  has  recently  occurred  in  it,  and  live  in  the  ordinary 
conical  lodge  made  of  canvas.  While  there  is  yet  open  water 
some  who  are  trappers  go  with  their  families  to  the  hunting 
grounds  and  construct  a  lodge-shaped  winter  dwelling  of  split 
poles,  which,  when  covered  with  earth  and  snow,  is  quite  warm 
and  comfortable.  Others  are  covered  with  spruce  or  birch- 
bark,  or,  if  the  owner  has  an  antipathy  towards  manual  labor, 
the  framework  of  the  poles  is  covered  with  sacking,  blankets, 
rags,  and  loose  strips  of  bark.  The  best  lodges  for  mild 
weather  are  made  of  ducking,  forty  yards  being  required  for 
each.  A  piece  of  sacking  or  old  blanket  is  hung  over  the  low 
doorway;  a  stick,  a  little  longer  than  the  oval  opening,  is  tied 
to  the  bottom  of  the  "door,"  to  keep  it  spread,  prevent  it  from 
swinging  in,  and  to    erve  as  a  handle  in  lifting  the  door  flap  to 


i 


26 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


.r  : 

I      I 
i 


enter.  Within,  an  open  fire  burns  in  the  center  beneath  the 
broad  smoke  hole  at  ♦:he  apex  of  the  cone.  The  floor  is  car- 
peted with  spruce  boughs.  The  occupants  do  not  stand  up 
inside  'he  lodge  as  their  heads  would  then  be  in  the  smoke,  but 
sit  crcjslegged  upon  blankets  around  the  fire. 

Sir  Francis  Drake  in  describing  the  Indian  lodges  near 
Golde  1  Gate,  says:  "Their  h'^uses  are  digged  round  within  the 
earth  and  have  from  the  vpper-most  brimmes  of  the  ci  xle  clefts 
of  wood  set  vp  and  ioyned  close  together  at  the  top,  like  our 
spires  on  the  steeple  of  a  church;  which  being  couered  with 
earth,  suffer  no  water  to  enter,  and  are  very  warm;  the  doore 
in  the  most  part  of  them  performes  also  the  office  of  a  chimney 
to  let  out  the  smoke:  its  made  in  bignesse  and  fashion  like  to 
an  ordinary  scuttle  in  a  ship,  and  standing  slopewise:  their 
beds  are  the  hard  ground  onley  with  rushes  strewed  vpon  it,, 
and  lying  round  about  the  house,  haue  their  fire  in  the  middest, 
which  by  reason  that  the  house  is  but  low  vaulted,  round  and 
close,  giveth  a  maruelous  reflexion  to  cheir  bodies  to  heate 
the  same."i 

This  description,  written  in  1579,  is  equally  applicable  to-day. 
Warburton  Pike,  writing  three  hundred  years  later,  says,. 
"  There  is  no  better  camp  than  a  well-set-up  lodge  with  a  good 
fire  crackling  in  the  middle. "^  When  the  temperature  falls  to 
sixty  degrees  below  zero  a  "maruelous  reflexion"  is  needed  to 
"heate  the  same."  fhe  adult  inmates  are  lightly  clothed  and 
the  children  half  naked.  At  night  there  is  but  one  three-point 
blanket  for  each  person.  The  fire  soon  goes  out  and  it  is  then 
a  question  of  endurance.  In  this  battle  with  the  frost,  the 
Cree  wraps  his  blanket  around  his  body  and  head,  leaving  his 
feet  exposed. 

Dress.  Capotes  are  worn  in  winter;  these  are  light,  hooded 
frock  coats,  of  fine  woolen  cloth,  unlined  and  ornamented  with 
a  double  row  of  brass  buttons.  This  is  the  "fine-cloth  capote"^ 
so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  voyageur.  A  capote  of  cheaper  and 
coarser  cloth  is  worn  by  the  poorer  class,  but  the  rough  cloth 
is  not  impervious  to  the  wind  and  snow.  The  hood  protects 
the  neck  and  head  from  the  winds  and  from  masses  of  snow 
dislodged  from  the  trees  in  traversing  the  bush.  They  are 
short  and  do  not  obstruct  the  limbs  in  running  on  snow-shoes. 

^TAe  World  Encompassed,  p.  121 
•  Barren  Ground  of  Canada,  p.  37. 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


27 


Belts  are  worn  at  all  seasons.  The  best  are  called  I'Assump- 
tion  belts;  they  are  woven  from  heavy  threads  and  are  from 
four  to  six  inches  wide  and  eight  to  ten  feet  in  length.  They 
are  girded  around  —  not  above  —  the  hip  bones.  The  belt  is 
used  as  a  tompline  or  packing  rope,  to  mend  dog  harness,  or 
wherever  a  line  is  needed.  The  cord  fringe  at  the  ends  usually 
has  a  finger  ring  and  the  key  to  the  wearer's  cassette  tied  in  it. 
The  belt  is  wound  twice  around  the  body  and  tied  in  front, 
leaving  the  long  fringe  hanging.  As  they  are  variegated  with 
all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow  they  form  a  conspicuous  part  of 
the  apparel  of  the  Indians  and  metis. 

Imported  caps,  or  Canadian  tucques,  are  worn  in  winter.  In 
summer  the  costume  is  that  of  civilized  man  except  for  the  belt 
and  moccasins.  The  women  wear  dresses  of  ^"  -^ht,  though 
expensive  material,  which  is  wholly  unsuited  to  their  needs. 
They  endure  the  greatest  hardship  and  exposure  without  a 
murmur.  Winter  moccasins  are  made  large  enough  to  contain 
a  square  piece  of  duffel  or  old  blanketing  in  lieu  of  socks. 
With  heavy  duffles  I  had  no  diflficulty  in  keeping  my  feet  warm 
on  the  coldest  days;  even  when  they  were  bound  with  the  snow- 
shoe  lines  I  never  froze  them.  No  matter  how  cold  it  may  be 
the  moccasins  become  damp  from  contact  with  the  snow  and 
must  be  dried  at  night.  When  wet,  they  wear  away  quickly;  a 
wet,  stony  trail  will  wear  holes  in  new  moccasins  in  two  hours. 
They  are  made  of  mooseskin  with  deerskin  or  cloth  tops, 
which  fold  around  the  ankle.  A  small  piece  of  snow-white 
deerskin,  bordered  with  colored  horse  hair  and  embroidered 
with  silk  and  beads,  is  placed  over  the  instep.  There  is  very 
little  beadwork  done  at  present  at  Grand  Rapids  and  I  did  not 
see  anything  at  all  comparable  to  the  beautiful  transparent 
beadwork  of  the  Ojibways. 

Treaty.  In  1875  Lieutenant  Governor  Alexander  Morris, 
and  Hon.  James  McKay,  commissioner  and  interpreter,  went 
among  the  Crees  and  Sauteux  of  Lake  Winnipeg,  proposing 
that  a  treaty  be  drawn  up  between  the  Great  Mother  and  her 
Red  Children,  wh  ,reby  the  country  was  to  be  opened  to  white 
settlement  and  the  Indians  placed  upon  reserves  as  wards  of 
the  government.  The  old,  blind  chief,  Peter  Beardy,  and  Joe 
Atkinson,  two  intelligent  half-castes,  I  found  could  speak  Eng- 
lish fluently.     Both  were   fond  of  repeating  the  story  of  the 


28 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


.       I 


governor's  visit.  "This  is  the  way  it  was  la  Hown  to  the 
Indian"  said  Old  Joe.  "I  will  give  you  cattle,  rses,  sheep, 
hogs,  and  poultry.  If  you  desire  them,  I  will  furnish  you  with 
a  carpenter,  a  blacksmith,  and  a  farmer,  that  you  may  learn 
these  trades.  I  will  give  you  a  doctor  and  a  school-teacher.  I 
will  provide  you  with  scythes  to  cut  grass,  tools  and  machinery 
to  t-ll  the  soil,  twine  from  which  to  make  nets,  rations  of  food 
and  an  annual  gift  of  money.  We  will  care  for  you  as  if  you 
were  our  children.  As  long  as  the  sun  shall  shine  and  the 
water  run,  this  promise  shall  never  be  at  an  end." 

The  Indians  made  no  demands  but  signed  the  treaty  without 
protest.  One  of  the  leading  men  of  the  band  asked  that  a 
copy  of  the  treaty  be  made  at  once  and  left  with  them.  "We 
have  no  time  now,"  was  the  answer.  "We  are  using  a  borrowed 
boat  and  must  push  on  at  once."  The  chief  brought  a  copy  of 
the  treaty  to  me.  It  was  wrapped  in  an  old  apron  with  a  few 
letters  and  a  quantity  of  aromatic  leaves.  This  document  stated 
that  cattle  would  be  given  to  the  thirty  families  on  the  reserve; 
a  school-teacher  would  be  provided  and  they  would  be  fur- 
nished "once  for  all"  with  plows,  hoes,  etc.;  ^500.00  per  annum 
was  to  be  expended  in  purchasing  ammunition  and  netting 
twine  for  the  reserves  contained  in  Treaty  Number  Five,  nearly 
fifty  in  all,  embracing  an  area  of  about  one  hundred  thousand 
square  miles. ^  For  a  number  of  years  this  has  not  been  suffi- 
cient to  provide  one-third  the  twine  necessary  to  make  one  net 
for  each  family.  The  rations  issued  amounted  anually  to  eight 
pounds  of  flour,  a  little  bacon,  tea  and  tobacco  for  each  man. 
The  attempts  to  make  the  Crees  self  supporting  have  not  been 
very  succcessful. 

Cattle  to  the  number  of  twelve  head,  were  placed  on  the 
reserve  twenty-five  years  ago.  A  few  years  later  a  second  lot 
were  received,  nearly  all  of  which  died  of  starvation  during 
the  next  winter.  In  1892  seven  more  arrived  and  these,  too, 
were  dying  when  I  left  the  post  in  February.  Hay  was  scarce 
and  of  poor  quality.  It  was  cut  from  the  marshes  which  were 
overflowed  by  the  lake  in  stormy  weather.  The  severe  gale 
previously  mentioned  destroyed  the  diminutive  stacks  of  hay 
which  had  been  left  to  be  hauled  by  dog  teams  during  the 
winter.    The  Indians  are  not  allowed  to  sell  their  cattle,  to  kill 

'  3egg,  Alex,,  History  of  the  Northxvest,  Vol.    X,  app.,  p.  44. 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


29 


them,  or  to  hire  out  their  oxen  to  the  whites.  They  had  but 
one  ox  that  could  be  used  in  hauling  and  the  poor  beast  had  a 
hard  time  of  it.  They  said,  "We  do  not  desire  these  cattle,  we 
have  no  one  to  show  us  how  to  care  for  them.  Why  should 
we  raise  cattle  for  the  Indian  Department,  anyway?"  In  the 
spring  when  the  supply  runs  low,  they  rob  each  other's  hay 
caches  and  even  steal  from  the  Company's  stack  at  the  post. 

The  reserve  is  simply  a  wooded  swamp  with  a  narrow  strip 
of  dryland  along  the  river  and  yet  theyweie  told  that  the  four 
miles  of  reserve  would  not  include  the  muskeg  but  would  be 
all  dry  land. 

Medicine.  The  Government  furnishes  a  stock  of  medicines 
which  are  dispensed  by  the  Company's  clerk.  Castor  oil  is 
the  most  popular  medicine  and  children  have  been  known  to 
drink  a  small  bottleful  thinking  it  to  be  fish  oil  of  rather 
extra  quality.  The  Company  sells  a  patent  cure-all  made  in 
"America"  as  the  United  States  is  called  in  that  region,  in 
which  the  natives  have  implicit  faith.  It  is  used  whenever 
obtainable,  whether  it  is  required  or  not. 

The  clown,  Sagames,  a  few  years  ago,  conceived  the  idea  that 
a  stone  was  forming  in  his  chest  and  that  any  over-exertion  on 
his  part  would  be  the  cause  of  his  immediate  death.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  Mrs.  Sagames  and  the  children  were 
starving,  he  persisted  in  keeping  his  bed  throughout  the  win- 
ter but  was  "brought  round"  in  the  spring  by  a  wonderful 
medicine  prepared  by  the  post  keeper.  It  was  a  mixture  of 
the  dregs  of  some  old  medicine  bottles,  with  Worcestershire 
sauce  and  cayenne  pepper  as  the  principal  ingredients.  At 
nearly  every  post  that  I  visited  such  cures  of  imaginary  diseases 
were  reported. 

Old  Antoine  was  the  most  skillful  doctor  in  the  settlement. 
He  showed  me  about  thirty  deerskin  bags  containing  herbs  from 
which  medicines  to  cure  every  disease  might  be  concocted, 
and  assured  me  that  if  it  were  summer  he  would  show  me 
the  plants  and  how  to  gather  the  roots  or  leaves.  He  said  that 
he  had  cured  cases  of  cataracts  in  the  eyes  of  dogs,  but  had 
never  tried  his  remedy  upon  a  fellow-being.  *  He  took  the 
ends  of  long  bones  and  burned  them,  reducing  the  ashes  to  a 

^  The  Eskimos  are  said  to  remove  "specks"  from  the  eyes  with  calcined 
bones.    (Bompas,  Northern  Lights,'^.  150). 


30 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


h^ 


li 


It 


!  I 


fine  powder  b}'  pounding  on  deerskin.  This  was  blown  into 
the  affected  eyes,  two  applications  being  sufficient  to  produce 
a  complete  cure.  A  doctor  had  visited  them  four  times  in 
eighteen  years,  "  as  a  bird  passing,"  the  chief  said.  Every  man, 
woman  and  child,  receives  an  annual  "treaty"  of  five  dollars 
in  cash.  This  is  taken  in  "  debt "  as  soon  as  the  last  gratuity  is 
paid.  If  a  death  occurs  the  head  of  the  family  who  has  "taken 
up"  the  annuity  refuses  to  pay  the  Company  when  he  receives 
the  money.  He  thinks  that  an  act  of  Providence  annuls  the 
obligation  to  pay.  Not  only  do  they  take  up  the  next  year's  an- 
nuity for  the  whulc  family  but  they  even  ask  for  "debt"  on 
account  of  an  unborn  child.  They  remember  the  verbal 
promise  that  "  all  shall  be  treated  alike  "  and  are  well  aware  of 
the  ict  that  the  surrounding  tribes  are  treated  far  better  than 
they;  that  the  Plain  Crees,  for  example,  receive  weekly  rations, 
and  have  blankets  and  other  necessaries  furnished  them. 

School.  In  January,  1893,  I  visited  the  school  maintained  by 
tl.e  government  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  treaty 
Indians.  The  building  had  been  erected  by  the  Indians  them- 
selves; the  walls  were  warped  and  cracks  gaping.  Holes  in  the 
roof  admitted  the  sunshine  or  the  storm.  The  door  hung 
"slopewise,"  the  floor  was  rough  and  broken.  The  register  of 
the  previous  quarter  contained  under  the  head  of  "Remarks," 
the  following  protest:  "The  Department's  attention  has  been 
repeatedly  called  to  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  school 
building  which  still  remains  in  the  need  of  repairs.  It  is  not 
fit  to  house  cattle  in."  There  were  no  desks,  the  children  sit- 
ting upon  benches  and  keeping  their  books  beside  them. 
There  were  twelve  slates  for  thirty  pupils.  They  seemed  to  be 
quite  as  mischievous  as  white  children,  and  their  attention  was 
easily  distracted  from  the  work  in  hand.  On  being  asked  the 
day  of  the  week  by  the  missionary  teacher,  one  young  hopeful 
answered  January,  another  said  it  was  "  fifty-two  weeks."  Yet 
*:he  instructor  assured  me  that  they  had  been  taught  the  days 
of  the  week  almost  daily  for  months.  One  boy  about  fourteen 
years  old  read  from  the  second  reader  and  translated  readily 
from  Cree  to  English.  He  also  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  the 
elementary  rules  of  arithmetic. 

The  instruction  is  oral  aided  by  slates  and  charts.  The 
children  are  taught    numbers,  reading   and  writing,  spelling, 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATTVES 


31 


blown  into 

0  produce 
r  times  in 
)very  man, 
ve  dollars 
gratuity  is 
las  "taken 
e  receives 
innuls  the 

year's  an- 
debt"  on 
he   verbal 

1  aware  of 
;tter  than 
ly  rations, 
em. 

tained  by 
of  treaty 

ans  them- 

les  in  the 

oor  hung 

egister  of 

emarks," 

has  been 

e  school 

[t  is  not 

dren  sit- 

them. 

ed  to  be 

tion  was 

ked  the 

lopeful 

Yet 

le  days 

ourteen 

readily 

t  of  the 

The 

)ening, 


geography,  grammar,  (sic)  vocal  music,  and  especially  the 
English  language.  Their  training  appeared  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage when  they  sang  hymns  in  their  mother  tongue.  They 
also  sang  in  English  hymns  wholly  unintelligible  to  themselves 
and  nearly  so  to  th6  listener. 

On  the  playground  I  found  the  boys  engaged  in  a  game  of 
football.  The  "ground"  was  a  little  opening  among  the  pines 
surrounding  the  building,  where  three  feet  of  snow  had  been 
packed  fi'-m  and  hard  by  the  tread  of  many  moccasins.  The 
ball  was  made  of  rags  and  about  six  inches  in  diameter,  irreg- 
ular in  shape  and  very  light,  but  not  too  light  for  the  feet  of 
the  players  protected  only  by  moccasins.  A  genuine  "rush  " 
would  have  resulted  in  the  total  demolition  of  the  wearing 
apparel  of  the  participants,  who  wore  the  cast-off  tatters  of 
their  elders. 

At  noon  each  pupil  was  given  two  hard-tack  biscuits  for 
lunch.  This  was  supposed  to  be  sufficient  inducement  to  bring 
them  to  school.  Many  of  the  children  ate  the  meat  or  fish  they 
had  brought  with  them  and  carried  the  hard-tack  to  their  parents. 

Mission.  About  twenty  years  ago  an  Episcopal  mission  was 
established  at  Grand  Rapids,  then  included  in  the  diocese  of 
Rupert's  Land.  The  Indians  built  the  church  and  missionary 
residence,  so  the  buildings  are  their  own  and  not  the  property 
of  the  church  as  other  missions,  where  the  land  is  set  apart  by 
the  government.  The  church  is  a  barn  like  structure  of  hewn 
logs,  with  very  little  furniture  within  and  no  decoration  what- 
ever. The  bell  is  hung  upon  a  tower  apart  from  the  building. 
The  manse  is  a  low  roofed  cabin,  very  cold  in  winter  and  very 
muddy  in  summer  when  the  rain  washes  out  the  clay  with 
which  it  is  chinked.  The  missionary  receives  a  small  salary 
from  the  church  missionary  society  of  England,  which  also 
provides  Bibles  and  hymn  books,  printed  in  the  Cree  language. 
Both  the  syllabic  1  and  the  Roman  characters  are  used  in  these 
publications,  and  nearly  all  can  read.  They  possess  a  natural 
talent  for  vocal  music  and  their  language  being  a  musical  one  * 
the  choral  service  is  very  pleasing  to  the  ear. 

They  cannot  comprehend  sectarian  differences  and  do  not 

1  A  syllabic  alphabet  was  invented  by  a  Cherokee  Indian  named  George 
Guess,  in  1826.  A  system  of  syllabic  characters  was  independently  devised 
by  James  Evans,  a  missionary  at  Norway  House,  on  the  northeast  shore  of 


3a 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH. 


;ii§ 


in  I 


understand  why  their  minister  objects  to  their  children  associat- 
ing with  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Pierre  Jean  Francois, 
who  live  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  opposite  the  reserve. 

The  Saskatchewan.  The  Saskatchewan,  or  as  it  is  called  by 
the  natives — Kissiskatchewan  (Swift  Current),  is  said  to  drain 
a  larger  area  of  fertile  land  than  any  other  river  in  the  British 
Empire.  The  melting  snows  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  main- 
tain a  sufficient  depth  of  water  to  enable  light  draft  steamers  to 
run  as  far  as  Edmonton  on  the  North  and  Lethbridge  on  the 
South  Branch.  The  two  branches  unite  about  four  hundred 
and  fift)-  miles  above  the  mouth.  Like  nearly  all  the  rivers  of 
the  Northwest  and  North,  the  Saskatchewan  has  not  only  a 
"swift  current  "  but  also  many  rapids.  The  largest  of  these,  the 
Grand  Rapids,  are  within  five  miles  of  the  mouth,  where  the 
river  breaks  through  a  series  of  limestone  ridges 

Grand  Rapids  was  the  scene  of  an  interesting  chapter  in  the 
history  of  the  conflict  between  the  fur  companies  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century.  During  the  month  of  July,  1819,  Gov. 
William  Williams  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with  a  number 
of  clerks  and  engages  and  a  force  of  discharged  soldiers  of  the 
DeMeuron's  regiment,  there  met  the  brigade  of  boats  bringing 
down  the  Northern  furs  of  the  northwest  Company.  His  men 
were  armed  with  muskets,  two  four-pound  guns,  and  a  number 
of  swivels  from  Hudson's  Bay.  The  last  mile  of  the  rapids 
could  not  be  ascended  by  loaded  boats  so  a  trail  had  been  cut, 
from  a  little  cover  below  the  gorge,  through  the  heavy  forest  to 
the  smooth  but  swift  water  a  mile  above.     In  running  down,  the 

Lake  Winnipeg.  This  Cree  syllabary  was  perfected  in  1841.  It  has  been 
described  at  lenj;th  by  Dr.  McLean  in  his  work  entitled,  yames  Evans,  In- 
ventor of  the  Syllabic  System  oj  the  Cree  Language,  1890.  The  system  is  based 
upcii  the  phonetic  principle,  and  each  character  represents  a  syllable,  thus^ 


~|  ma 
<^  cha 


P  me 
Pche 


_)  mo 
J  cho 


|_  ma 
(j  cha,  etc. 


Only  thirty-six  characters  are  required  for  the  Cree  language. 

Archdeacon  McDonald,  of  McPherson,  has  invented  a  more  cumbrous 
system  for  the  Loucheux  language,  which  employs  the  Roman  letters, 
but  contains  about  500  syllables,  which  "notwithstanding  the  apparent  dif- 
ficulty, some  of  the  Indians  have  learned  in  a  fortnight."  Dr.  McLean  in 
a  letter  to  J.  C.  Pilling,  Biography  of  the  Athabascan  Languages,  p.  59. 

Compare  Petitot:  "La  lang  crise  est  douce,  sonore,  musicale  et  tr^s 
scande^.     C'est  I'italien  du  Nord-Ouest."     Legends,  p.  446. 


^^ 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


33 


associat- 
Fran^ois» 
»erve. 
railed  by 

to  drain 
le  British 
ns  main- 
lamcrs  to 
fe  on  the 

hundred 
rivers  of 
t  only  a 
hese,  the 
here  the 

er  in  the 

:he  early 

•  ig,  Gov. 

.  number 

rs  of  the 

bringing 

His  men 

number 

e  rapids 

een  cut, 

orest  to 

)wn,  the 

has  been 

vans,  In- 

is  based 

e,  thus — 

etc. 


imbrous 

letters, 

•ent  dif- 

Lean  in 


?• 


et  tr6s 


bourgeois  of  the  Northwest  Company  walked  across  the  por- 
tage and  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  superior  force  lying  in 
wait  at  the  cove.  These  gentlemen  were  confined  for  .some 
time  on  a  small  round  island — now  called  Prisoners'  Island— in 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  then  taken  to  York  Factory, 
where  they  were  treated  with  great  cruelty. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century,  six  to  eight  hundred  men  were  sometimes 
encamped  at  this  portage.  Then,  the  narrow  lane  cut  through 
the  forest  was  worn  by  the  feet  of  dark-skinned  porters.  Now, 
the  silence  is  unbroken  save  by  the  chickaree  and  the  impudent 
whiskey  jack,  and  the  path  is  grass  grown.  The  little  clearing 
contains  a  few  mounds  with  crumbling  crosses  that  mark  the 
resting  place  of  a  few  "unknown." 

Duriivjj  the  summer  months  the  rapids  are  frequented  by 
double-crested  cormorants,  white  pelicans,  and  large  numbers 
of  ring-billed  gulls. 

In  1877  the  Company  built  a  tramway,  nearly  four  miles  in 
length,  from  the  steamboat  landing  below  to  the  river  a  mile 
above  the  head  of  the  rapids,  at  which  point  dwellings  and 
warehouses  were  built.  Four  miles  above  are  the  Roche  Rouge 
Rapids;  river  steamer^  ascend  these  by  the  aid  of  lines  and  don" 
key  engines.  The  heaviest  rapids  besides  the  Grand  Rapids,  are 
those  of  the  Demi-charge,  thirteen  miles  above  "The  Portage,'' 
as  the  buildings  at  the  head  of  the  tramway  are  called.  At  the 
foot  of  Demi-charge,  lies  Calico  Island,  so  named  in  1872,  when 
the  first  river  steamer  went  to  pieces  in  the  rapids  and  her 
cargo,  containing  a  large  quantity  of  calico,  was  spread  out  upon 
the  island  to  dry.  Seven  miles  above  the  Demi-charge  Rapids 
is  another  stretch  of  rough  water  and  beyond  this  the  short  and 
narrow  "steamboat  channel,"  leading  out  of  Cedar  Lake.  On 
the  south  bank,  near  the  rapids,  two  or  three  crumbling  chim- 
neys mark  the  site  of  a  long  abandoned  trading  station  called 
the  "Flying  Post."*  In  1892  two  Indian  cabins  stood  upon  the 
lake  shore  near  the  channel,  affording  a  convenient  shelter  for 
passing  travelers,  as  they  were  about  halfway  between  the  posts. 

Fifteen  miles  from  the  Narrows,  the  boat  route  turns  sharply 

iHind  calls  this  station  "Cedar  Lake  House,  a  winter  trading  post  of  the 
Hon.  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  lately  established,"  etc.  liefort  on  the  Norfh- 
'tvest  Territory,  1858,  p.  76. 


t 


34 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


l):ii 


]; 


.    M 


to  the  north  around  Rabbit  Point,  a  muskeg  terminated  by  reefs 
and  shoals.  On  the  2ist  of  November,  1819,  Mr.  Benjamin 
Frobisher,  of  the  Northwest  Company,  died  -from  starvation  and 
exposure  at  this  point.  Accompanied  by  two  Canadian  voy- 
ageurs,  he  had  made  his  way  from  York  Factory — a  distance  of 
over  five  hundred  miles — only  to  die  there  within  two  days 
march  of  Moose  Lake  House.  He  had  been  one  of  the  party 
captured  the  preceding  June  at  Grand  Rapids,  but  had  escaped 
from  captivity,  and  after  months  of  suffering  and  hardship 
reached  Rabbit  Point.  His  companions,  with  nothing  but 
moose  leather  to  eat,  had  carried  him  from  the  Narrows,  but 
their  strength  gave  out  and  he  was  left  at  the  Point,  while  they 
sought  assistance  from  the  post.  A  rescuing  party  found  his 
remains,  burned  by  the  fire  into  which  in  his  weakness  he  had 
fallen  while  trying  to  renew  it.^ 

The  Winnipeg  country  is  said  to  have  been  visited  by  Cana- 
dians in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Joseph  La 
France,  in  1740-42,  was  the  first  to  traverse  the  intricate  network 
of  lakes  and  rivers  connecting  Lake  Winnipeg  \vith  Hud.  ^n's 
Bay.  It  was  not  till  1774  that  Samuel  Hearne  reached  the 
Saskatchewan  and  established  the  post  at  Cumberland;  while 
the  first  Red  River  post  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  was 
established  in  1799. 

For  over  two  hundred  years  the  Saskatchewan  was  the  only 
practicable  route  to  the  Athabasca  River  and  the  Far  North. 
After  the  consolidation  of  the  fur  companies,  in  1821,  goods 
were  brought  in  by  way  of  York  Factory.  The  boats  used  by 
the  company  were  called  York  boats  because  of  their  annual 
journey  down  to  York.  They  were  long  and  open,  the  rake  of 
bow  and  stern  being  alike,  guided  by  a  heavy  sweep  passing 
through  a  ring  in  the  sternpost.  They  were  manned  by  a  crew 
of  six  or  eight  oarsmen  and  a  steersman.  They  were  capable 
of  carrying  ten  tons,  would  stand  rough  usage,  and  were  easily 
repaired.  With  a  full  wind,  a  sail  quickly  improvised  from  tar- 
paulins allowed  "a  spell"  to  the  crew,  who  usually  worked  to 
the  limit  of  their  endurance  in  their  haste  to  reach  their  destina- 
tion, before  the  short  summer  closed.  These  brigades  were 
made  up  of  the  Canadian  voyageurs,  and  Cree,  Sauteux,  and 
Northern  Indians. 

*  (Masson,  G.  R.),  Les  Bourgeois  ,  Vol.  11,  p.  179. 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


35 


The  long  ^nd  dangerous  boat  route  to  York  Factory  was 
abandoned  when  the  railway  reached  Red  River.  The  Sas- 
katchewan itself  found  its  occupation  gone  when  the  "Northern 
Outfit"  crossed  the  plains  by  rail  to  Calgary,  and  later  to 
Edmonton. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Angus  McLean,  clerk  in  charge  at 
G-and  Rapids  since  1878,  for  the  following  information  concern- 
ing the  river  traffic.  Saskatchewan  freight  was  carried  in  York 
boats  until  1874,  when  the  steamer  "Northcote"  was  built.  In 
the  summer  of  1877  she  made  four  trips  to  Edmonton.  She 
was  of  too  heavy  draft  for  the  river  and  now  lies  at  Cumber- 
land. The  first  river  steamer  was  built  at  Grand  Rapids  in  1872, 
and  was  wrecked  at  Demi-charge  Rapids  on  her  first  trip, 
before  she  had  gone  twenty  miles.  She  had  not  yet  been 
named,  being  known  simply  as  "the  first  boat."  The  "North- 
west" was  built  at  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  and  came  to 
the  Saskatchewan  in  1882,  passing  the  Grand  Rapids  with  her 
machinery  in  place.  She  still  makes  one  or  two  trips  each  year, 
supplying  the  river  posts  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  In 
1882  another  steamei,  "The  City  of  vVinnipeg,"  intended  for 
river  trafific,  was  wrecked  near  Long  Point  while  being  towed 
across  Lake  Winnipeg.  The  steamer  "Manitoba,"  also  coming 
from  Red  River,  as  the  settlement  between  Winnipeg  and  the 
lake  is  called,  was  taken  through  the  Grand  Rapids  without  her 
machinery.  Her  career  was  very  brief,  terminating  at  Prince 
Albert,  where  she  was  crushed  in  the  ice.  In  1877  the  steel 
steamer  "Lily"  was  built  at  Grand  Rapids.  She  proved  to  be  of 
too  heavy  draft  and  was  in  use  for  only  a  short  time.  These 
weie  all  stern-wheel  steamers  drawing,  when  loaded,  from  two  to 
three  and  a  half  feet  of  water.  The  "Marquis"  was  the  largest 
carrying  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  the  others  two  hundred 
and  twenty  each. 

OoskanatChet.  Early  in  February  I  visited  old  Ooskanatchet, 
at  the  Narrows.  He  was  said  to  know  more  Cree  legends  than 
anyone  else  in  that  region,  and  I  had  already  exhausted  the 
stock  of  myths  at  Grand  Rapids.  !  found  the  old  man  very 
talkative,  but  it  required  liberal  gifts  of  tea  and  tobacco  to 
induce  him  to  speak  of  the  mythical  beings  in  whose  existence 
he  had  implicit  faith;  he  was  the  only  Indian  on  the  Lower 
Saskatchewan  who  had  not  accepted  Christianity.     He  said  that 


i 


'i  1 


1  * 


It 


36 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


the  Pauguk,  or  Death  Demon,  had  appeared  to  him,  a  sign<^^at 
his  course  was  nearly  run.  He  and  his  "old  wife''  made  an 
image  of  Pauguk  for  me  of  substantial  birch  wood  and  moose- 
skin.  This  creation,  dressed  in  mooseskin  and  daubed  with 
paint — representing  the  most  terrible  of  all  spiritual  powers, 
preceded  me  on  the  voyage  home,  where,  upon  my  return 
I  found  it  temporarily  entered  in  the  museum  catalogue  as 
"Indian  Doll."  Ooskanatchet  gave  me  his  peace-pipe — with 
the  request  that  it  be  preserved  in  the  museum,  which  I  had 
described  to  him.  The  bowl,  of  fine-grained  sandstone,  he 
had  obtained,  perhaps  a  half  century  before,  from  Red  Deer 
River,  west  of  Lake  Winnipegoosis;  the  stem  was  from  a  shrub 
called  nepemenana.  The  old  man  solemnly  and  ceremoniously 
filled  and  lighted  the  pipe,  then  turned  the  stem  towards  the 
four  cardinal  points,  towards  the  zenith  and  nadir,  took  two  or 
three  puffs,  and  then  handed  it  to  me.  I  did  not  wish  to  offend 
by  refusing  to  take  two  or  three  whiffs,  but  I  did  not  use 
tobacco  and  not  for  all  the  tribal  wampum  would  I  have  smoked 
that  nicotine-soaked  uspwahgun,  filled  with  negro-head  to- 
bacco. 

His  medicine  drum  was  very  similar  in  shape  to  an  old  fash- 
ioned dasher  churn.  It  was  of  birch  wood,  a  foot  in  diameter 
by  eighteen  inches  in  height.  The  head  was  of  mooseskin 
parchment  dampened  and  stretched  when  used.  The  drumstick 
was  a  birch  rod  bent  at  a  sharp  angle,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 
The  drum  is  accompanied  by  a  rattle,  formerly  made  of  moose- 
skin parchment  with  gravel  enclosed,  but  the  advancement  of 
modern  civilization  and  the  old  man's  inventive  genius  had  sub- 
stituted a  tomato  can  containing  a  few  grains  of  shot,  with  a 
handle  attached  by  thongs. 

He  warned  me  not  to  take  whiskey  jack's  or  crow's  egg"5  dur- 
ing my  spring  collecting.  No  matter  how  valuable  they  might 
be,  I  would  certainly  have  bad  luck  if  I  tampered  with  the  nests 
of  these  birds.  Old  Antoine,  who  interpreted  for  me,  said  that 
he  had  once  found  the  nest  of  a  whiskey  jack  or  Canada  jay, 
and  since  then  several  of  his  children  had  died;  this  proved  the 
matter  conclusively. 

Ooskanatchet  was  unusually  liberal  in  his  gifts  and  one  might 
have  inferred  that  he  anticipated  a  speedy  departure  from  this 
life.     I  had  learned  not  to  be  too  profuse  in  my  thanks  under 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN   NATIVES 


sign  <^^at 
made  an 
d  moose- 
bed  with 
1  powers, 
y   return 
ilogue  as 
pe — with 
:h  I  had 
stone,  he 
Led  Deer 
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ards  the 
k  two  or 
o  offend 
not   use 
smoked 
lead    to- 

)ld  fash- 
h'ameter 
joseskin 
umstick 
e  figure, 
moose- 
ment  of 
lad  sub- 
,  with  a 

fg'=  dur- 
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le  nests 
aid  that 
da  jay, 
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J  might 
am  this 
3  under 


37 


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38 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   TI.E   FAR   NORTH 


such  circumstances,  as  it  all  usually  resulted  in  a  request  foi'  a 
"present"  of  tea  and  tobacco.  I  promised  to  pay  for  the  arti- 
cles received  when  I  returned  to  the  store,  and  then  his  schema 
was  disclosed,  showing  that  his  faith  in  Pauguk  had  less  to  do 
with  the  disposal  of  the  pipe  than  had  his  appetite  for  butter 
and  milk.  He  was  allowed  to  live  at  the  Narrows  by  special 
permission,  and  received  his  annuity  at  Chemawawin.  He 
wished  me  to  write  a  letter  to  the  Indian  agent  in  Winnipeg 
asking  for  two  cows  to  be  kept  at  the  ^^arrows.  The  letter  was 
written  when  I  reached  the  city,  but,  I  fear,  with  less  diplomatic 
skill  in  its  composition  than  the  old  man  would  have  displayed. 

Ooskanatchet  had  a  family  of  four  boys  on  whom  he  had 
bestowed  peculiar  names,  perhaps  with  a  desire  to  advertise  his 
medicine  "business."  Ammogabo,  or  Aleck,  the  best  moose 
hunter  in  the  country,  was  the  oldest.  Another  was  called 
Owatches,  or  child;  a  third,  Kemootisk,  Thief,  and  the  last  bore 
the  suggestive  name  of  Wihtigoosis,  Little  Cannibal  or  Little 
Devil. 

Sturgeon  were  abundant  in  the  lake  before  his  door,  and  the 
swift  current  prevented  the  ice  from  forming  for  any  length  of 
time  in  the  river  channel,  so  that  nets  could  be  set  during  the 
winter.  The  surrounding  forest  contained  caribou  and  moose, 
and  a  few  fur  bearing  animals,  by  trapping  which,  and  by  the 
sale  of  sturgeon  and  moose  meat,  they  lived  very  comfortably. 
I  tried  to  engage  Aleck  for  the  trip  to  the  Far  North,  but  his 
father  and  mother  were  afraid  that  their  food  supply  would  fail 
if  that  faithful  provider  left  them.  They  could  not  comprehend 
the  fact  that  I  would  arrange  to  have  regular  rations  gi .  en  them 
at  the  post.  They  were  also  afraid  of  the  influence  evil  spirits 
in  strange  lands  might  have  upon  their  boy,  though  Aleck  him- 
self was  quite  willing  to  go. 

In  returning  to  the  post  next  day  we  had  to  cross  the  river 
where  the  current  had  worn  the  ice  very  thin.  The  ominous 
gurgle  from  the  hummocks  of  snow  and  the  black  patches  of 
open  water  showed  the  dangerous  character  of  the  frail  bridge, 
half  a  mile  in  length.  We  were  accompanied  by  the  Thief,  who 
was  on  his  way  to  the  post  with  a  sled  loaded  with  sturgeon. 
Antoine  could  not  think  of  traveling  for  four  hours  without 
"boiling  the  kettle,"  so  we  stopped  and  melted  snow  for  tea 
and  fried  a  little  bacon.     The  Thief  had  brought  his  kettle  of 


^M 


i  ;   I 


THE   SASKATCHEWAN    NATIVES 


39 


tea  nearly  to  a  boil  when  the  burning  sticks  fell  beneath  it  and 
it  was  all  spilled.  Not  gaining  wisdom  by  experience  he 
allowed  this  to  happen  a  second  time,  after  which  I  did  not 
wonder  that  Ooskanatchet  was  afraid  to  depend  upon  him  and 
the  Little  Devil  for  support. 

Tea  Kettles.  The  tea  kettles — "copper  kettles"— used  in  the 
North  and  Northwest  are  tin-lined  copper  pails  having  a  close 
fitted  lid  with  a  ring  riveted  in  the  centre.  There  are  no  seams 
to  me't  in  the  intense  heat  of  a  winter  camp  fire,  and  they  are 
sufficiently  heavy  to  withstand  the  hard  usage  of  camp  life. 
The  smallest  hold  but  one  piai:.  The  two  quart  size  is  the  one 
used  by  two  men  traveling  together  and  one  filling  is  never 
enough  to  satisfy  their  thirst. 

Provision.  In  summer,  in  the  Northwest,  the  bread  is  baked 
en  loute.  It  is  made  of  flour  and  water  only,  no  leavening  agent 
being  used.  The  dough  is  made  very  stiff  and  is  worked  for 
some  time.  It  is  kneaded  into  flat  circular  cakes  of  a  size  to 
fit  the  frjing  pan,  in  which  they  are  baked  before  the  fire,  the 
pan  resting  on  the  ground  and  inclined  so  that  the  heat  falls 
upon  the  top  of  the  loaf;  the  handle  of  the  pan  is  supported  by 
an  upright  stick  set  in  the  ground.  If  the  traveler  has  no  fry- 
ing pan  the  bread  is  baked  in  a  "beaver  tail."  Such  a  loaf  is 
long  and  narrow  and  is  exposed  to  the  fire  upon  a  stick,  the 
lower  end  being  set  in  the  ground;  two  or  three  cross  sticks,  the 
size  of  an  ordinary  skewer,  are  required  to  prevent  the  loaf 
from  breaking  and  falling  as  it  bakes.  The  natives  in  their 
haste  usually  eat  these  cakes  before  they  are  thoroughly  cooked. 

In  the  winter  the  bread  is  all  baked  before  starting  on  the 
journey  and  is  thawed  when  it  is  to  be  used.  Fish  are  boiled  if 
a  second  kettle  is  to  be  had;  if  not,  they  are  opened  along  the 
back  and  roasted  upon  a  stick  set  in  the  ground  in  the  snow. 
Meat  is  usually  boiled  just  enough  to  cook  the  outside.  It  may 
be  roasted  on  a  stick  or  suspended  from  a  pole,  cut  for  the  pur- 
pose. Very  little  salt  is  used.  Coffee  is  unknown.  Side 
bacon  or  "cogos"  is  the  greatest  luxury  in  the  North,  though 
now  becoming  common  at  southern  posts.  Grand  Rapids  has 
imported  a  little  butter  of  late  years,  and  the  Indians  are  very 
fond  of  it.  They  spread  butter,  bacor  grease,  deer's  or  bear's 
grease,  all  on  the  same  piece  of  bread  if  they  are  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  them  all.     I  regarded  this  appetite  for  grease  in  a 


40 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


very  different  light  after  I  had  lived  a  few  months  under  similar 
conditions  in  the  Far  North. 

The  term  "  Far  North  "  is  applied  to  the  Territory  beyond  the 
Great  Slave  Lake.  The  "  Northwest "  is  between  the  Red  River 
and  the  Athabasca  River,  beyond  which  lies  the  "North."  All 
is  included  in  the  "  Northern  Department"  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  which  has  subdivided  it  into  some  half  dozen 
fur  districts. 


m 


CHAPTER  III 

ALBERTA 

THAT  I  might  descend  the  Mackenzie  River  by  the  first 
open  water,  it  was  necessary  to  leave  Grand  Rapids  while 
the  sledge  travel  was  still  good.  A  dog  train  was  being  sent  to 
Selkirk,  the  nearest  railway  point,  and  my  outfit  was  to  be  car- 
ried by  it  while  I  walked  or  ran  with  tbe  men  in  charge  of  the 
team. 

On  the  morning  of  February  20th,  I  bade  farewell  to  the  little 
group  of  natives  that  had  gathered  to  see  us  off.     Some  of  them 
M  had  been  friendly  and  hospitable  and  I  parted  from  them  with 

regret.  We  were  accompanied,  for  the  first  day,  by  Mr.  Mc- 
Lean, who  camped  with  us  at  night  on  the  portage  across  Long 
Point,  near  the  scene  of  our  moose  hunting  adventures  of  the 
autumn.  During  the  night  the  dogs  broke  into  the  sled  and  ate 
all  our  bacon.  At  the  time  I  was  partially  conscious  that 
something  was  amiss,  but  was  too  exhausted  to  become  fully 
aroused.  It  seemed  as  if  an  assembly  of  fiends  was  combating 
for  the  possession  of  our  camp.  Over  the  sleds,  across  our 
prostrate  bodies,  and  through  the  smouldering  fire  the  dogs 
fought,  snarling  and  howling.  The  next  day  they  were  sorry 
looking  dogs,  and  the  one  that  ate  the  most  bacon  was  a  very 
sick  cur.  Fortunately  for  us  there  was  a  hunter's  cabin  on  our 
route  which  we  reached  at  noon.  The  owners  of  the  shanty 
were  absent  upon  a  hunting  trip  in  the  bush,  but  there  were 
several  hundred  pounds  of  fresh  and  dried  moose  meat  on  the 
scaffolds  and  from  this  we  replenished  our  stock  of  provision. 
Small  packages  of  tea,  tobacco,  etc.,  accompanied  by  a  few 
lines  in  syllabic  characters,  written  upon  birch-bark  or  smooth 
pine  sticks,  showed  that  other  visitors  had  drawn  upon  the  meat 
caches  for  supplies.  My  companions  examined  every  bundle 
and  ransacked  the  premises  before  they  could  be  induced  to 

41 


I  :i 


4a 


EXPLC!lATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


i 


prepare  our  meal.  They  had  to  formulate  satisfactory  theories 
regarding  the  previous  visitors  before  they  could  bring  their 
minds  to  bear  upon  the  work  in  hand. 

With  two  young  metis,  I  left  our  escort  of  three  trains  at  the 
cabin,  and  started  down  the  low-lying  shore  toward  the  Nar- 
rows of  Lake  Wmnipeg.  Frequent  light  snowfalls  caused  the 
sled  to  drag  heavily  so  that  we  did  not  walk  more  than  thirty 
miles  each  day.  One  evening  as  we  were  about  to  camp,  a  dark 
object  in  advance  caused  Donald,  the  man  before  the  dogs  (the 
hero — or  victim— of  the  breach  of  promise  case  of  the  previous 
autumn),  to  halt;  as  we  came  up  the  boys  discussed  the  strange 
appearance  for  some  time,  and  finally  concluded  that  it  could 
not  be  Wenisk  or  Kakapasis,  so  it  must  be  Pascapeet  returning 
from  Reindeer  Island.  The  supposed  dog  train  grew  larger  as 
we  advanced  and  finally  developed  into  a  H>^ap  of  broken  ice! 

The  dogs  were  shod  with  canvas  "shoes,"  which  caused  the 
driver  no  end  of  trouble  and  the  dogs  much  suffering.  The 
shoes  were  narrow,  shapeless  bags  and  soon  filled  with  ice 
after  leaving  camp.  They  were  intended  to  prevent  the  feet 
of  the  animals  from  being  cut  b)  the  sharp,  granular  under- 
crust  into  which  they  were  thrust  in  hauling.  Judging  from 
laiei  experience,  I  greatly  question  whether  "dog-shoes"  are  of 
any  real  service. 

The  load  was  lightened  daily  as  our  own  provision  was  con- 
sumed and  twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds  of  fish  were  given  to 
the  dogs.  Several  pounds  were  also  cached  for  the  return  trip. 
The  problem  of  transportation  of  provision  is  as  }et  unsolved 
by  the  Northern  voyageur.  He  lacks  the  reindeer  that  can 
forage  by  the  way,  nor  has  he  the  concentrated  pemmican  c 
blubber  of  the  arctic  explorer.  Scarcely  any  heavier  form  of 
dog  food  than  frozen  fish  can  be  found,  and  the  length  of  sled 
trips  are  accordingly  limited  to  ten  or  twelve  days'  duration 
unless  game  is  to  be  had  or  camps  found  on  the  way. 

On  the  fourth  night  we  encamped  on  a  little  island  far  out 
from  the  western  shore,  with  a  clear  horizon  of  snow-covered 
lake  upon  all  sides,  save  a  few  islands  near  us.  The  island  was 
encircled  by  drifts  ten  feet  in  depth.  The  temperature  fell  to 
forty-five  degrees  belo.v  zero,  so  cold  was  it  that  a  birch  ax 
handle  snapped  like  a  pipestem  while  cutting  wood.  I  over- 
heard Aleck  saying  to  his  companion  during  the  night,  "Kis- 


ALBERTA 


43 


sinao,  tapwa,  kissinao," — "It  is  cold,  truly,  it  is  cold."  When 
the  natives  drew  the  blankets  closer  upon  their  shivering  forms 
I  felt  that  there  was  some  cause  for  my  own  aches  and  sleep- 
lessness. 

On  the  sixth  day  we  crossed  the  traverse  of  Fisher  Bay  and 
endeavored  to  reach  Dog  Head,  a  Company's  post  at  the  Nar- 
rows. We  walked  until  nearly  midnight  across  the  trackless 
lake,  directing  our  course  by  the  moon,  just  visible  through  the 
haze.  We  were  without  food  and  had  a  storm  arisen  would 
have  been  in  a  dangerous  predicament.  We  came  upon  a  huge 
crack  in  the  ice,  a  common  occurrence  in  lake  travel  in  spring, 
and  searched  some  time  in  the  darkness  for  a  bridge  across  the 
black  ribbon  of  thin  ice.  We  reached  the  land  at  last,  at  a  point 
only  five  miles  from  the  post;  not  knowing  where  we  were,  we 
camped  with  only  enough  wood  to  boil  a  kettle  of  tea  and  with 
notning  to  eat,  though  we  had  run  sixty  miles  that  day.  My 
clothing  was  wet  with  perspiration  and  I  passed  a  sleepless 
night.  Soon  after  daybreak  we  reached  the  post  and,  owing  to 
the  absence  of  the  clerk,  it  was  some  time  before  we  could  have 
our  wants  supplied.  Oar  breakfast  of  tasteless  boiled  beef 
without  salt  and  bread  without  butter  was  heartily  enjoyed. 

I  ordered  bread  t  be  baked  for  the  remainder  of  the  trip  and 
then  drowsily  watched  the  boys  roll  themselves  in  their  blank- 
ets under  the  breakfast  table.  We  all  slept  until  late  in  the 
aft(;rnoon  when  we  pushed  on  to  Bull  Head,  where  we  passed 
the  night  in  a  fisherman's  shanty.  After  six  nights  in  the  snow 
the  chilly  little  garret  where  we  slept  seemed  oppressively 
warm. 

We  started  the  next  morning  upon  a  good  track,  expecting 
to  reach  a  cabin,  thirty-seven  miles  distant,  at  the  bottom  of 
Humbug  Bay,  by  nightfall.  A  strong,  penetrating  wind  blew 
directly  in  our  faces;  this  soon  drifted  the  road  full  of  soft  snow 
into  which  we  sank  to  the  ankles,  yet  all  were  suffering  too 
much  from  mal  dc  racqticttc  to  wear  snow-shoes.  The  tempera- 
ture was  twenty-two  degrees  below  zero.  At  noon  we  ate  our 
lunch  at  an  abandoned  sawmill.  Toward  evening  we  met  a 
fisherman  from  Selkirk  with  whom  my  men  were  acquainted, 
and  of  course  they  were  invited  to  have  a  drink  of  whiskey. 
Soon  afterward  a  passing  stranger  also  shared  his  whiskey  with 
them,  with  the  result  that  one  of  them  came  dashing  past  me 


44 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   F\R    NORTH 


.'=tretched  out  on  the  sled  with  his  feet  dragging,  alternately  ply- 
ing the  whip  and  swearinj:,'  at  the  dogs,  and  singing  hymns  in 
Cree.  The  other  stumble  1  along  for  a  while  and  then  fell  by 
the  track  where  he  lay  several  hours. 

I  had  expected  to  ride  the  remaining  eighty-five  miles,  which 
w.  s  over  an  excellent  tracV  kept  open  by  the  ox-teams  of  fish 
freighters;  but  my  driver  was  too  ill  to  walk,  from  the  effects  of 
the  overdose  of  bad  whiskey  upon  a  stomach  accustomed  to 
nothing  stronger  than  black  tea.  so  that  he  occupied  the  sled 
the  following  day. 

A  few  miles  from  Humbug  Bay  we  reached  the  northern  limit 
of  the  colony  of  Icelanders,  which  occupies  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  west  shore  of  low  er  Lake  Winnipeg.  The  well-built, 
steep-roofed,  and  whitewashed  log  houses  were  in  marked  con- 
trast with  the  low  squalid  cabins  of  the  Indians.  The  men  are 
employed  as  fishermen  on  the  lake  in  summer  and  as  lumber- 
men in  winter.  They  have  cleared  small  farms  which  produce 
vegetables  and  some  grain.  There  is  usually  abundant  pastur- 
age for  their  cattle,  and  fish  are  plenty  in  the  lake  near  by. 
"But  it  is  not  our  Iceland,  if  we  did  starve  there  sometimes," 
said  a  silver-haired  old  woman  who  kept  the  "stopping-place" 
where  we  obtained  lunch  that  day.  On  the  following  day,  the 
tenth  from  Grand  Rapids,  as  Aleck  was  able  to  run  again,  I 
occupied  the  cariole  myself.  We  reached  Selkirk  after  night- 
fall in  the  midst  of  a  blinding  snowstorm. 

Taking  the  boys  witu  me  to  the  hotel,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  them,  for  once,  fully  satisfied  with  food.  They  had  run 
forty  miles  that  day  on  a  hard  track,  more  tiring  to  the  muscles 
than  ordinary  snow.  The  grinning  waiter  kept  the  supply  of 
food  replenished  ana  a  pained  expression  came  over  their  faces 
as  they  realized  that  there  really  was  a  limit  to  their  capacity. 

Hastily  boxing  my  outfit,  which  it  had  been  necessary  to  carry 
thus  far  in  bags,  I  reached  Winnipeg  by  rail  the  next  morning^ 
March  2nd. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  not  had  access  to  any  of  the  accounts  of 
Franklin,  Back,  Richardson  and  others  who  had  passed  through 
the  fur  countries,  and  my  plans  we-e  necessarily  somewhat 
indefinite  as  to  the  point  at  which  to  leave  the  main  route  in 
search  of  musk-ox;  I  had  concluded,  after  leading  Pike's  Nar- 
rative they  could  not  be  reached  from  the  Great  Slave  Lake 
withou*^  great  risk  and  hardship. 


i|i: 


ALBERTA 


45 


The  following  letter  received  at  this  time,  errbodies  the  plans 
which  I  had  submitted  for  approval  to  the  University: 

Iowa  City,  Iowa,  March  7th,  1893. 
Mr.  Frank  Russell,  WinHipp^,  Manitoba,  Canada : 

Dear  Sir:  In  accordance  with  the  wish  of  the  Executive  Conimitteti  of 
the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  I  have  prepared  the 
following  instructions  for  your  guidance  in  the  exploration  which  j  .>u  have 
undertaken  in  the  interest  of  this  University. 

1.  We  uiiderstand  that  the  officers  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  CompTiv  have 
endorsed  as  practicable  the  following  plan,  which  is  outlined  in  a  letter  just 
received  from  you.  Leaving  Winnipeg  as  soon  as  this  letter  and  the  sup- 
plies sent  from  here  have  been  received,  and  the  preparations  for  your  ♦rip 
have  been  ^lompleted,  you  are  to  proceed  to  Macleod,  Alberta,  and  collect 
zoological  and  ethnological  specimens  until  about  May  ist.  After  this  you 
will  proceed  to  Ft.  Chippewyan,  where  you  will  remain  and  collect  until 
about  June  loth,  at  which  time  you  expect  to  be  able  to  proceed  northward 
by  steamer  to  Fort  Simpson;  where  you  are  to  consult  Mr.  Camsell,  the 
officer  in  charge  of  that  post,  as  to  your  winter  quarters. 

The  plan,  as  outlined  above,  is  approved  of,  and  you  are  instructed  to 
carry  it  out  as  nearly  as  possible,  although  you  are  authorized  to  deviate 
from  the  same  in  details  if  such  deviation  be,  in  your  judgment,  desirable. 

2.  We  understand  that  your  plan  for  further  operations  is  as  follows: 
You  intend,  if  possible,  to  secure  the  services  of  a  reliable  Indian,  with 
whom  you  will  go  by  canoe  to  Fort  Confidence,  near  the  Northeast  shore 
of  Great  Bear  Lake,  where  you  expect  to  establish  a  permanent  camp  for 
the  winter,  game  and  wood  being  reported  pHnty  in  that  vicinity.  When 
navigation  opens,  in  the  spring  of  1894,  you  intend  to  proceed  by  canoe  to 
the  rnouth  of  the  Coppermine  River,  where  you  will  collect  until  approach- 
ing winter  warns  you  to  return  to  Fort  Resolution  and  home. 

This  plan  is  approved,  provided: 

a.  That  it  can  be  carried  out  without  great  personal  danger  to  your- 
self. This  University  does  not  desire  you  to  imperil  your  life  in  its 
service,  and  you  are  particularly  instructed  not  to  incur  any  dangers 
which  would  be  considered  as  of  unusual  gravity  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  officers  with  whom  you  consult. 

b.  That  you  can  secure  the  services  of  a  man  known  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  officers  as  one  who  can  be  relied  upon  as  honest,  intelli- 
gent and  faithful. 

3.  You  are  expected  to  advance  in  every  reasonable  way  the  scientific 
objects  of  your  expedition,  which  are 

a.  A  full  collection  of  the  Mammals  of  the  regions  visited,  especially 
the  Musk-ox;  Caribou,  Polar  Bear  and  Wood  Buffalo,  if  such  can  be 
had. 

b.  A  full  collection  of  the  Birds,  especially  those  breeding  in  the  far 
north,  of  which  a  full  series  of  eggs,  young,  and  specimens  in  sum- 
mer plumage,  is  desired. 


46 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


c.  A  collection  of  Insects  and  such  Invertebrates  as  you  can  find 
means  of  procuring. 

d.  Notes  and  specimens,  so  far  as  practicable,  of  the  Flora  of  the 
country. 

e.  Notes  and  specimens  regarding  the  Geology  and  Paleontology  of 
the  regions  visited. 

/.        Ethnological  specimens  illustrating  the  life,  habits,  manufactures, 
etc.,  of  the  natives.     No^es  of  songs,  folk-lore,  traditions,  religious 
conceptions  and  myths,  are  especially  desired. 
ff.         Meteorological  observations,  particularly  at  your  winter  post,  for 
which  a  set  of  instruments  has  been  provided  by  the  United  States 
Weather  Bureau. 
4.    The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, having  granted  very  generous  concessions   for  the  furtherance  of 
your  expedition,  this  University  desires  that  any  information  secured  by 
you  that  may  be  of  service  to  these  corporations,  be  reported  to  them  at 
your  earliest  convenience.     You  are  also  instructed  to  be  guided  largely  in 
your  plans  by  the  experience  and  suggestions  of  the  officers  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  who  are  familiar  with  the  far  north. 

You  are  also  expected  to  report  as  often  and  as  fully  as  possible  of  the 
progress  of  your  work  in  the  field,  and  to  take  full  notes  embodying  all 
matters  of  interest  which  come  under  your  notice. 

C.  C.  Nutting, 
Professor  0/  Systenuilic  Zoology, 

State  University  of  Iowa. 

I  was  detained  at  Winnipeg  until  March  21st,  when  I  received 
my  outfit  from  the  custom  house  and  started  westward. 

Until  we  had  passed  the  shore  line  of  the  ancient  Lake 
Agassiz  the  Manitoba  Plains  appeared  under  their  snowy 
mantle  as  level  as  a  lake.  No  signs  of  a  thaw  had  as  yet 
appeared.  On  the  second  day  the  country  became  more  roll- 
ing. That  afternoon  we  passed  two  recently  ditched  loco- 
motives and  learned  that  three  trains  were  snowed  in  ahead  of 
us;  after  a  delay  of  thirty-six  hours  our  journey  was  continued. 

Between  Forbes  and  Dunmore  interesting  fossils  of  the  Cre- 
taceous occur,  but  were  at  that  season  buried  under  the  snow. 
Within  five  miles  of  Medicine  Hat  two  small  herds  of  antelope 
were  seen  near  the  track,  though  they  have  now  been  nearly 
exterminated,  and  their  feeding  grounds  have  been  fenced  in 
large  ranches.  Several  herds  of  horses  were  pawing  up  the 
snow  to  reach  the  grass.  Behind  them  came  the  cattle,  which 
do  not  dig  for  themselves,  but  depend  upon  the  horses  to  un- 
cover the  grass  for  them. 


HSM 


ALBERTA 


47 


At  Calgary,  I  took  the  semi-weekly  train  for  Macleod,  a 
hundred  miles  southward.  This  villaj^e,  twenty  miles  from  the 
Porcupine  Hills  and  fifty  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  stands 
upon  a  low  rocky  bluff  overlooking^  the  Old  Man  Creek.  It  is 
a  typical  frontier  town,  where  a  number  of  mounted  police  are 
stationed  for  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order  among  the 
heterogeneous  white  population  and  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  Pie- 
gans,  Bloods  and  Blackfeet,  whose  reserves  are  not  far  distant. 
The  Piegans  had  tried  to  murder  their  farm  instructor  onl)'  a 
few  days  before  I  arrived,  but  they  are  usually  content  with 
cattle  stealing.  A  policeman  in  a  burst  of  confidence,  inform(;d 
me  that  the  Piegans  and  the  other  "niggers"  were  solving  the 
Indian  problem  on  their  own  account.  They  were  closely  con- 
fined on  the  reserves,  and  were  rapidly  reducing  their  numbers 
by  overfeeding!  The  site  of  the  fort  is  said  to  have  been 
determined  b\'  the  presence  of  a  large  spring,  but  it  is  certainly 
not  an  attractive  spot  in  March,  surrounded  by  monotonous, 
undulating  plains,  covered  with  gray  buffalo  grass.  The  scanty 
fringe  of  timber  along  the  Old  Man  Creek  affords  little  shelter 
for  birds,  and  the  continuous  chinook  wind  would  have  made 
collecting  difficult.  I  therefore  hastened  to  push  on  by  stage 
to  the  little  village  of  Pincher  Creek,  fifteen  miles  east  of  the 
mountains. 

I  learned  that  mountain  sheep  were  obtainable  in  the  range 
near  the  "Creek"  and  that  a  band  of  Stoney  Indians  from 
Morley  were  encamped  in  the  foothills.  I  at  once  visited  them 
and  after  consulting  their  leader.  Old  Peter,  decided  to  engage 
him  for  a  week's  hunt.  He  thought  a  horse  could  be  taken  into 
the  mountains  by  traveling  on  the  hard  crust  of  the  snow,  and 
we  might  see  some  sheep  or  goats.  I  accordingly  hired  a  gray 
broncho,  that  was  decidedly  nervous  at  the  sight  and  smell  of 
an  Indian.  Peter  rode  an  old  white-eyed  Cayuse  and  led  a  sec- 
ond, concealed  under  a  pack  consisting  of  a  well-smoked  can- 
vas lodge  and  our  camp  outfit.  Peter  was  dressed  in  an  old 
be-ribboned  blanket  capote,  with  a  ten-inch  butcher  knife  at  his 
belt.  His  feet  were  encased  in  overshoes  and  rags.  His  hat 
was  tied  on  with  a  piece  of  mosquito  netting  which  protected 
his  ears  on  cold  days,  and  his  eyes  from  snow-blindness  on 
warm  ones. 

We  wound  our  way  for  two  days  through  the  foothills  to  the 


pppp 


48 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


southward,  toward  Chief  Mountain  on  the  international  bound- 
ary. The  wind  blew  almost  unceasingly  from  the  westward, 
bringing  snow  squalls  from  the  mountains.  Our  lodge  was  full 
of  holes  and  the  cold  wind  made  our  camps  very  uncomfortable. 
We  spent  several  days  in  wading  through  soft,  slushy  snow  on 
the  hard  crust  of  winter.  In  crossing  deep  gulches  we  were 
compelled  to  cut  footholds  with  our  knives  as  we  ascended 
the  walls  of  snow.  Our  only  provision  consisted  of  the  ban- 
nocks Mrs.  Peter  had  baked  on  the  eve  of  our  departure  and 
clear  side  bacon;  experience  had  taught  me  to  furnish  as  little 
food  as  I  could  exist  upon  myself  if  I  expecied  to  have  the 
Indian  really  hunt  for  the  game. 

We  saw  old  sheep  trails  along  the  mountain  sides, but  neither 
sheep  nor  recent  tracks.  Peter  concluded  that  after  two  Sun- 
days they  would  come  down  from  their  winter  haunts  in  the 
back  ranges  to  graze,  but  that  they  were  as  yet  beyond  our 
reach.  Not  satisfied  with  the  failure  of  this  attempt,  I  engaged 
the  services  of  a  ranchman,  who  accompanied  me  thirty  miles 
into  the  mountains,  through  the  Crow  Nest  pass  to  the  summit 
of  the  chain.  We  spent  a  week  in  that  wild  and  rugged  region, 
seeing  only  six  sheep,  two  of  which  I  wounded  at  long  range 
but  did  not  secure,  though  I  followed  them  several  hours  over 
dangerous  ground.  It  was  the  worst  season  possible  to  hunt 
big  horn  and  I  ought  not  have  attempted  it. 

The  Stoney  Indians  are  the  best  men  to  employ  as  assistants 
in  hunting  in  these  mountains,  as  they  are  industrious  hunters 
and  experienced  mountain  climbers. 

The  last  week  of  my  stay  in  this  locality  was  spent  at  the 
ranch  of  the  Eddy  Brothers.  These  two  gentlemen  hospitably 
invited  me  to  "bach"  with  them  as  long  as  I  wished  and  gave 
me  every  assistance  in  their  power  during  my  stay. 

The  siiarp-tailed  grouse  and  a  few  species  of  small  deer  were 
common  in  the  bush  covering  the  foothills,  but  the  summer 
residents  had  not  yet  appeared,  owing  to  the  unusually  late 
spring.  While  in  tht  pass  I  secured  several  prime  marten  skins. 
Tracks  of  black  and  g.izzly  bears  were  seen,  but  these  animals 
were  not  common  and  no  specimens  were  secured. 

The  past,  typified  by  bleaching  skulls  and  deep-worn  trails  of 
the  buffalo  dajs,  has  been  succeed  td  by  a  present  of  barbed 
wire  fences  which,  in  many  cases,  extend  for  miles  without  in- 


liP;,,.4,vi;k,,:mJAI4.>*4,i«te4!i1 


ALBERTA  aq 

terruption;  the  traveler  is  inclined  to  look  upon  these  as 
infringements  upon  his  rights,  as  contrary  to  the  traditions  of 
the  Plains,  when  he  is  intercepted  by  them  in  traversing  a  direct 
and  well-worn  trail,  and  compelled  to  follow  new  and  as  yet 
little-used  roads  platted  on  the  lines  and  angles  of  surveyed 
sections. 

I  reached  Edmonton  on  the  20th  of  April.  This  frontier 
town  is  the  present  terminus  of  the  northern  branch  of  the 
Canadian  Pacific  Railway;  it  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  North  Saskatchewan,  nearly  two  hundred  miles  north  of 
Calgary  on  the  main  line  of  the  railroad.  As  at  Macleod,  the 
traveler  is  landed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  three  miles 
from  the  town.  The  ice  was  just  breaking  up  in  the  river  and 
a  thrifty  Scotchman  was  ferrying  passengers  across  an  open 
channel  in  the  middle,  ten  yards  wide,  at  twenty-five  cents  each. 
This  was  the  last  point  at  which  I  could  purchase  provi.sions 
for  the  far  north,  where  I  expected  to  depend  on  net  and  gun  or 
on  the  Company's  posts,  supplied  principally  with  the  meat  and 
fish  of  the  country.  I  did  not  wish  to  hamper  myself  with  a 
large  outfit,  nor  did  I  have  the  means  with  which  to  pay  the 
charges  for  transportation.  The  list  of  supplies,  a  considerable 
portion  of  which  was  given  in  gratuities  to  the  Indians,  was  as 
follows: 

Flour, 200  pounds. 

Bacon,  side,  ........     50  pounds. 

Tea,  black, 21  pounds. 

Sugar,  brown, 30  pounds. 

Baking  powder 3  pounds. 

The  outfit,  including  provision,  fixed  ammunition,  two  45-90 
Winchester  rifles,  and  a  ten-  and  a  twelve-bore  shotgun,  weighed 
but  750  pounds. 

The  presence  of  rival  traders  at  Chippewyan  compels  the 
Company  to  send  a  spring  outfit  to  that  post  b}-  boat  as  soon 
as  navigation  opens,  usuall)'  about  the  first  of  Ma)-.  As  I 
wished  to  reach  Lake  Athabasca  in  time  to  collect  a  series  of 
the  first  migratory  birds,  I  made  arrangements  to  accompany 
this  early  boat  instead  of  waiting  for  the  steamer  "Athabasca," 
which  starts  down  the  Athabasca  River  a  month  later.  All  of 
the  freight  to  and  from  the  north  is  hauled  by  wagon  from 
Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing,  a  distance  of  ninety-four 
miles,  whence  the  water  route  extends  to  the  Arctic  Sea. 


50 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


1 1 

m 


Ij 
ii 


The  party  leaving  Edmonton  on  the  26th  of  April,  1893, 
consisted  of  Captain  "Joe"  Faville,  an  old  English  metis, 
master  of  the  "Grahame,"  then  lying  at  Chippewyan;  Captain 
J.  W.  Mills,  going  in  to  take  charge  of  the  "Wrigley,"  the 
writer  and  four  engaged  servants  of  the  Company.  To  "go 
in,"  by  the  way,  is  to  descend  the  Athabasca;  to  return  to  civili- 
zation is  to  "  go  outside."  Wo  passed  the  last  farm  houses  on 
the  first  da}'.  The  snow  still  lay  in  the  poplar  thickets.  The 
nights  were  cold,  the  road  rough  and  muddy,  and  the  dreary 
monotony  of  the  scrubby  bush  was  yet  unrelieved  by  the 
awakening  of  spring. 

The  officer  at  Edmonton  had  supplied  us  with  "everything 
that  we  required  "  until  we  should  reach  the  landing.  Upon 
opening  our  stores  we  found  tea,  bacon,  and  a  short  allowance 
of  bread.  This  thoughtful  genius  had  concluded  that  we  should 
begin  our  training  for  the  straight  meat  and  tea  of  the  North  by 
foregoing  butter,  sugar,  etc.,  while  we  still  had  such  luxuries  as 
bacon  and  bread.  As  we  discussed  at  mealtime  the  considera- 
tion of  our  commissariat.  Captain  Mills  voiced  the  sentiments 
of  the  party  in  select  colloquialisms,  taken  from  the  several 
languages  with  which  he  was  acquainted  and  which  he  could 
combine  most  artistically,  even  for  a  steamboat  captain. 

On  the  third  day  we  followed  the  course  of  the  Towwatin- 
now  Creek  beyond  the  divide  between  the  waters  flowing  to 
the  Arctic  Ocean  and  to  Hudson's  Bay.  The  appearance  of 
the  country  had  changed;  the  sandy  hills  were  scantily  clothed 
with  "jack  pines,"  and  the  spruce  became  more  abundant  on 
the  lower  grounds.  A  few  Indian  lodges  were  seen  at  a  dis- 
tance with  a  herd  of  ponies  near  them. 

We  overtook  several  metis  freighters,  whose  lank  and  bony 
cayuses  crept  along  at  a  pace  that  must  have  taken  a  week  to 
reach  the  landing.  They  slept  at  night  under  their  wagons, 
while  their  horses  grazed  upor.  the  dried  grass  of  the  preceding 
season — their  only  food.  Upon  reaching  the  crest  of  the  hill 
overlooking  the  picturesque  valley  of  the  Athabasca,  at  its 
northward  bend,  we  were  greath'  disappointed  to  behold  the 
river  still  locked  in  the  ice  of  winter.  We  were  compelled  to 
wait  four  days  before  it  opened  and  we  could  safely  follow  the 
retreating  floes.  The  lakes  about  the  country  were  still  frozen 
so  that  there  was  no  shooting  to  be  had,  though  the  waterfowl 
were  passing  daily. 


ALBERTA 


51 


A  quarter  of  a  mile  up  the  river  was  the  free  traders'*  estab- 
lishment, where  a  barge  was  being  built  to  take  down  their 
summer  outfit.  Below  the  Company's  wharf  lay  the  "  Atha- 
basca," a  stern-wheel  steamer,  drawn  out  upon  the  bank  for  the 
winter.  Beyond,  was  a  depot  containing  goods  for  the  Roman 
Catholic  missions  of  the  North,  and  near  by  two  young  Scotch- 
men had  pitched  their  tent  to  await  the  first  trip  of  the  steamer 
toward  the  Peace  River  valley  where  they  expected  to  engage 
m  farming.  A  small  squad  of  mounted  police  was  stationed  at 
the  landing  to  prevent  liquor  from  being  carried  into  the  North. 
On  the  night  of  May  2d  we  were  awakened  by  the  uproar 
occasioned  by  a  passing  skiff,  containing  a  large  quantity  of 
whiskey,  which,  owing  to  the  darkness  and  the  dangerous  con- 
dition of  the  river,  succeeded  in  escaping. 

The  long  journey  was  begun  on  the  following  morning,  when 
we  embarked  in  a  York  boat  that  had  evidently  passed  through 
some  hard  service.  Our  craft  was  twenty-six  feet  in  length, 
and  loaded  with  three  tons  of  miscellaneous  merchandise, 
including  six  hundred  pounds  of  newspapers  for  the  fur  posts 
and  the  missions,  which  had  accumulated  at  Edmonton  during 
the  winter.  Our  crew  consisted  of  the  jolly  cook  of  the  "Gra- 
hame,"  two  Red  River  metis  and  two  Crees  from  Lac  la  Biche. 
Owing  to  severe  illness,  Capt.  Faville  remained  at  the  landing, 
and  Captain  Segur,  of  the  steamer  "Athabasca,"  accompanied 
us  to  take  charge  of  the  "Grahame." 

The  river  banks  were  lined  with  ice,  in  places  forming  con- 
tinuous overhanging  walls,  making  it  difficult  to  effect  a  land- 
ing. At  mealtime,  after  boiling  the  kettle,  we  would  push  off 
and  drift  while  eating.  Aided  by  the  swift  current,  on  the  third 
day  we  reached  the  Grand  Rapids  of  the  Athabasca,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  miles  below  Athabasca  Landing. 

As  we  were  approaching  the  rapids,  the  roar  of  which  could 
be  plainl}-  heard,  the  cry  of  "mooswa"  was  raised.  Two  moose 
were  walking  along  the  edge  of  the  ice  wall,  eight  feet  above 
the  water.  They  were  evidently  searching  for  a  place  of  easy 
descent  to  enter  the  river  and  swim  across.  The  two  captains 
opened  fire  when  within  a  hundred  yards.  One  of  them  declared 
afterward  that  "the  boat  was  too  unsteady  to  shoot  from;"  the 

'  The  term  "free  trader"  is  not  used  in  Its  old  world  Kcnse  of  smuggler, 
but  is  applied  to  anyone  trading  in  opposition  to  the  Company. 


S3 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


i  ''  1 


I  il 


« 
'^'i 


other  denied  having  buck  fever  but  acknowledged  being  a 
h'ttle  "nervous."  At  all  events,  when  the  smoke  cleared  away, 
the  moose  were  still  uninjured.  We  were  swept  some  distance 
down  stream  before  we  could  make  fast  to  the  broken  and 
dangerous  ice.  Running  back  along  shore,  we  cautiously 
approached  the  sp  :>t  where  the  moose  were  last  seen,  but  they 
had  disappeared.  We  were  about  to  turn  back,  thinking  they 
had  entered  the  woods,  when  the  ears  of  one  of  the  animals 
were  seen  above  a  hummock  in  the  midst  of  the  tumbled  mass 
of  ice  blocks,  slush  and  mud.  The  ice  had  given  way  beneath 
them  and  both  moose  were  floundering  in  pits  too  deep  to 
admit  of  escape.  We  were  without  fresh  meat  and  quite  will- 
ing to  kill  one,  but  it  was  only  after  every  effort  to  rescue  the 
other  had  failed  that  it,  too,  was  slaughtered.  Unfortunately, 
the  skins  were  worthless  as  specimens  at  that  season.  After  an 
hour's  hard  work,  the  bodies  were  dragged  out  and  rolled  into 
the  river  to  be  picked  up  by  the  boat  bel  3w. 

We  encamped  a  short  distance  from  tl  e  rapids  upon  a  steep 
hillside  and  passed  an  uncomfortable  night  on  sloping  ground, 
with  everything  soaked  by  the  water  trickling  from  the  banks 
of  melting  snow  above  us.  The  boys  feasted  until  a  late  hour 
upon  choice  morsels  of  moose  meat.  "  Lixie,"  one  of  the  Crees, 
declared  it  to  be  "bacon  breakfast;"  these  were  the  only  Eng- 
lish woras  that  I  ever  heard  him  use.  They  probably  seemed 
to  him  to  express  the  highest  praise. 

We  ate  our  breakfast  in  the  morning  before  embarking — no 
floating  there — and  pulled  across  to  the  eastern  bank  to  inspect 
the  channel,  which  it  was  feared  would  be  obstructed  with  ice. 
The  portage  is  made  across  an  island,  four  or  five  hundred 
yards  in  length,  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  The  steam- 
boat landing  is  a  mile  above  on  the  right  bank,  whence  the 
goods  are  taken  in  boats  through  a  crooked  channel  blasted 
through  the  huge  nodular  sandstone  boulders  to  the  head  of 
the  island.  A  dilapidated  wooden  tramway  extends  across  the 
island,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  rapids  are  still  so  strong  that 
the  sturgeon-head  boats  of  the  "Athabasca  Transport"  have  to 
be  dragged  through  with  a  line.  The  free  traders  carry  their 
goods  along  the  east  bank  and  lower  their  boats  with  a  line 
through  the  rapids,  a  descent  of  sixty  feet. 

Pushing  off  again,  we  were  soon  in  the  grasp  of  the  swiftly 


ALBERTA 


S3 


increasing  current.  As  we  entered  the  channel  leading  to  the 
island,  the  roar  of  the  rapids  drowned  the  voice  of  the  bows- 
man,  who  indicated  the  channel  to  the  steersman  by  signals, 
but  losing  his  head  at  a  critical  moment,  he  raised  the  wrong 
hand,  resulting  in  the  boat  being  swept  against  a  rock  with  a 
swing  and  lurch  that  nearly  capsized  us.  The  crash  of  timbers 
and  the  yells  of  the  frightened  Indians  mingled  with  the  roar 
of  the  rapids,  over  which  it  would  have  been  certain  death  to 
have  gone.  Happily  for  us,  the  boat  was  swept  clear  and 
reached  the  landing  place  safely.  We  were  a  day  and  a  half 
in  portaging  our  boat  and  cargo.  I  occupied  a  part  of  this 
time  in  collecting  fossils.  The  river  here  cuts  through  a  Cre- 
taceous sandstone,  containing  such  a  large  number  of  nodular 
concretions  that  they  pave  the  bed  of  the  stream  as  the  softer 
matrix  is  worn  away.  These  boulders  are  from  .six  inches  to 
fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  most  of  them  are  as  smooth  and 
spherical  as  if  they  had  been  turned  in  a  lathe.  In  pouring 
over  such  a  bed  at  a  steep  pitch,  the  whirling,  foam-crested 
waters  are  tossed  and  dashed  in  such  wild  confusion  that  no 
boat  could  live  there  for  a  moment. 

Near  the  head  of  the  island  stands  a  small  storehouse,  near 
which  a  large  quantity  of  flour  was  piled  in  sacks.  It  had  lain 
there  since  the  preceding  summer,  with  no  other  protection  than 
the  double  sacks  in  which  all  flour  for  the  North  is  placed. 
The  first  rain  had  formed  a  hard  crust  on  the  exposed  parts  and 
this  afterwards  protected  the  interior. 

Upon  thi^  island,  on  the  6th  of  May,  we  encountered  the  first 
mosquitoes  of  the  season,  and  were  to  know  no  peace  b)'  day 
or  by  night,  in  house,  or  tent,  or  boat,  owing  to  their  persistent, 
malevolent,  fiendish  persecution,  until  the  snows  of  autumn 
should  banish  them  for  another  eight  months;  for  there  are 
but  two  seasons  in  the  Land  of  Desolation — a  snow  season  and 
a  mosquito  season. 

Capt.  Segur  had  placed  an  Indian,  familiar  with  the  rapids, 
at  the  steering  oar,  to  guide  us  through  the  rough  water 
below  the  island.  As  a  result  of  a  prolonged  debauch  upon 
smuggled  whiskey,  he  was  too  weak  to  manage  the  iieavy 
sweep,  and  we  were  carried  through,  side  on,  not  only  shipping 
water,  but  in  imminent  danger  of  the  old  boat  going  to  pieces 
in  the  breakers.     The  river  has  a  total  descent  of  three  hun- 


54 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


II 


^■^ 


dred  and  sixty  feet  in  the  next  eighty-five  miles  and  is  inter- 
rupted by  ten  rapids.  The  valley  narrows  to  a  canon,  three  to 
five  hundred  feet  in  depth,  having  a  series  of  terraces  through- 
out most  of  its  course. 

Seventeen  miles  below  the  Grand  Rapids,  we  came  upon  a 
gas  veil,  marked  by  a  line  of  bubbles  that  extended  halfway 
across  the  stream.  On  the  following  day  we  reached  the  Cas- 
cade Rapids,  where  a  series  of  rock  ledges  creates  an  overfall 
in  midstream  with  swift  and  shallow  rapids  on  either  side. 
Ordinarily  a  portion  of  the  load  is  portaged  "long  the  left 
bank,  with  the  flat  rock  of  the  river  bed  for  a  portage  road,  but 
at  the  time  of  our  arrival,  this  was  covered  with  broken  and 
overhanging  ice,  piled  to  a  height  of  twenty  feet.  Packing 
goods  across  portages  is  no  uncommon  experience  for  the  Com- 
pany's servants  in  the  North,  yet  our  crew  flatly  refused  to 
"carry"  over  such  a  path,  as  it  would  be  necessary  to  make 
for  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  along  the  steep  slope  of  tar 
sands  and  mud  slides.  Thinking  better  of  it  next  morning, 
however,  they  set  to  work  carrying  with  tomp  lines,  improvised 
from  canvas  folded  so  that  it  could  be  placed  next  the  fore- 
head and  ropes  at  the  ends  to  attach  to  the  bales.  Partly  from 
a  desire  to  be  "doing,"  and  partly  from  a  curiosit)'  as  to  how 
it  felt  to  "pack,"  I  shouldered  a  hundred-pound  sack  of  BB 
shot  and  started  with  the  others.  The  load  did  not  seem  heavy 
at  first,  and  save  a  little  unsteadiness  in  the  knees  in  climbing 
the  steep  inclines,  I  experienced  no  difficulty.  I  was  regretting 
that  I  had  not  taken  two  pieces,  as  do  the  voyageurs  at  each 
trip,  when  we  came  to  rougher  ground  and  that  lead  began  to 
increase  rapidly  in  weight.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  throkv  it 
down,  I  reached  a  convenient  ledge  on  which  to  rest  and  after 
a  short  "spell"  finished  the  portppe.  My  curiosity  was  satis- 
fied, but  I  carried  over  a  second  piece,  a  bale  of  dry  goods,  and 
found  it  much  easier  to  carry  than  the  springless,  dead  weight 
of  the  shot.  With  a  half  load  we  attempted  to  run  the  short 
rapid.  The  boat  struck  on  the  last  ledge  and  all  hands  had  to 
tumble  out  and  carry  several  hundred  pounds  ashore  through 
the  chilling  cold  water,  in  which  large  pieces  of  drift  ice  were 
running.  We  were  under  the  overhanging  wall  of  shore  ice, 
several  tons  falling  with  a  crash  within  two  minutes  after  we 
got  clear  of  it.     We  soon  encountered  other  rapids  below,  in 


ALBERTA 


55 


the  passage  of  which  we  were  dashed  with  spray  and  our  boat, 
weakened  with  age,  threatened  with  destruction.  It  was  an 
exciting  experience — to  be  drawn  into  the  boiling  flood;  the 
bowsman,  crouching  low  to  avoid  being  hurled  from  the  tossing 
boat,  signalled  to  the  steersman  who  guided  us  with  powerful 
strokes  of  the  great  sweep  and  directed  the  crew  with  the  com- 
mand "pimiscow" — pull,  or  "see" — back-water.  When  run- 
ning the  Boiler  Rapids,  one  of  our  Crees,  instead  of  attend- 
ing to  his  oar  and  assisting  in  bringing  the  boat  around  the 
sunken  boulder  in  the  middle  of  the  channel,  turned  to  stare  at 
the  rapids,  his  oar  caught  against  the  rocks  and  the  inner  end 
struck  him  amidships,  hurling  him  against  the  man  next  in 
front.  Had  the  thole  pin  not  given  way  he  would  have  been 
pitched  into  the  midst  of  the  rapids.  Such  accidents  are  not 
uncommon;  if  short  of  actual  tragedy,  the  victim  must  bear 
the  ridicule  of  the  whole  boat's  crew  for  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage. 

On  the  eighth  day  we  reached  McMurray,  an  insignificant 
post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Clearwater  River.  Goods  arriving 
in  boats  from  the  Grand  Rapids  of  the  Athabasca  are  there 
transferred  to  the  steamer  "  Grahame,"  that  being  the  south- 
ern limit  of  her  run.  The  Clearwater,  also  containing  many 
rapids,  was  the  route  followed  to  and  from  the  North  previous 
to  the  building  of  the  railvva}'  across  the  plains.  Down  this 
stream  Peter  Pond  made  his  wa)'  from  the  Long  Portage,  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  years  ago.  Mackenzie,  Franklin  and  other 
distinguished  explorers  have  traversed  and  described  the  val- 
ley of  the  Clearwater  and  the  direct  route  thence  to  the  Arctic 
Siba.  Below  the  "Forks"  the  bluffs  recede  from  the  river  and 
decrease  in  elevation.  The  Athabasca  attains  a  width  of  nearly 
half  a  mile  and  contains  man\'  islands  of  silt  and  driftwood, 
covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  spruce.  We  drifted  at  night 
on  the  lower  river  and  made  such  rapid  progress  that  we 
reached  Lake  Athabasca  on  the  tenth  da)'.  We  were  still 
twelve  miles  from  Chippewyan,but  could  not  sail  directly  to  it 
owing  to  the  ice  not  having  broken  up.  We  had  been  told  that 
Captain  Segur  was  a  "good  judge  of  water,"  and  expected  he 
would  guide  us  through  the  shallow  channels  among  the  bars 
and  islands  along  shore.  Leaving  the  main  stream  we  entered 
a  channel  which  the  Captain  declared  to  be  the  Embarras 


56 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THK    FAR    NORTH 


River.*  This  grew  narrower  as  we  advanced  until,  after  an 
hour's  rowing  against  a  strong  wind,  it  ended  abruptly  in  a 
clump  of  willows.  The  worthy  Captain  was  conceded  to  be  "a 
good  judge  of  water  but  a  mighty  poor  judge  of  land."  We 
reached  the  main  stream  again  just  as  darkness  was  setting  in. 
There  was  no  dr)  ground  on  which  to  camp,  or  even  to  build  a 
fire.  From  our  position  nothing  could  be  seen  but  an  appar- 
ently endless  stretch  of  driftlogs  with  their  spreading  roots 
anchored  on  the  battures,  except  toward  the  southwest,  where 
miles  of  willows  fringed  the  water  courses.  It  had  rained  all 
the  afternoon,  and  the  absence  of  a  fire  to  dry  our  clothing  was 
severely  felt.  A  smaU  ute,  large  enough  to  boil  a  kettle  of  tea, 
was  made  ar  >ng  fl  roots  of  the  stranded  stump  to  which  we 
had  made  fa?  ii'.  i  i?  night.  Dropping  down  the  river  in  the 
morning  we  so.  <*  r.  :»ed  a  channel  with  a  strong  current, 
entering  from  u\.'  wesi  "hich  proved  to  be  the  Embarras. 
Ascending  this  for  three  or  .'our  miles  we  turned  into  a  branch 
flowing  toward  Chippewyan.  We  were  compelled  to  wait  two 
days  at  its  mouth  until  guides  were  sent  to  conduct  us  through 
the  ice-obstructed  channels  among  the  islands  before  the  post. 

As  we  were  passing  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Peace,  several 
members  of  the  party  discovered  "a  big  moose  walking  on  the 
batture  and  coming  this  way."  Rifles  were  hastily  taken  from 
their  cases  and  everyone  dropped  behind  the  gunwale  of  the 
boat.  Two  metis  in  our  party  were  about  to  wade  toward  it 
when  the  supposed  moose  resolved  itself  into  the  uplifted  roots 
of  a  huge  cottonwood  driftlog! 

Our  journey  of  five  hundred  and  thirty  miles  had  occupied 
twenty  days,  including  the  delays  at  Athabasca  Landing,  the 
Grand  Rapids  and  the  Cascade.  Just  before  our  arrival  the 
snow  had  been  cleared  off  by  a  heavy  rain,  though  many  drifts 
still  remained  on  the  northern  slopes. 

*  The  channel  known  as  the  Embarras  River  obtained  its  name  from  the 
driftwood  with  which  it  is  said  to  have  been  obstructed.  "The  'Embarras' 
in  no  place  exceeds  one  hundred  ^ards  in  breadth,  and  the  slack  current 
makes  it  preferable  as  a  route  fin  ascending  the  stream]  to  the  main  river, 
where  the  current  is  very  strong.  Its  banks  in  places  are  steep,  and  like 
the  Slave  River,  thickly  clothed  with  willow  and  poplar,  some  of  the  latter 
very  large.  The  waters  are  abominably  dirty."  Pullen,  British  Arctic  Blue 
Book,  1852,  Vol.  50,  p.  62. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ATHABASCA  DISTRICT 


CHIPPEWYAN*  is  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a  peninsula, 
of  irregular  outlines,  which  is  connected  with  the  north 
shore  by  a  low,  narrow  neck.  The  red  gneissic  rock  is  fre- 
quently exposed,  and  at  intervals,  as  between  the  promontory 
occupied  by  the  Compan}''s  buildings  and  that  on  which  the 
mission  stands,  has  been  ground  into  sand  of  a  characteristic 
color  which  forms  a  pretty  beach.  The  hollow  ;je  een  the 
broken  hills  support  a  muskeg  growth  of  mos.<^  ^nd  narack, 
while  the  scanty  soil  of  the  slopes  affords  a  fc  u.  Id  (or  small 
spruce  and  birch  trees. 

Chippowyan  is  the  leading  post  of  Athabasca  District  and 
is  one  of  the  most  extensive  establishments  ^h'*  North,  being 
second  only  to  Simpson,  the  chief  station  in  Mackenzie  District. 
The  buildings  are  of  hewed  logs  and  whip-sawed  lumber.  The 
"Grahame,"  a  fair-sized  stern-wheel  steamer  (and  during  the 
winter  of  1895-6  a  second  vessel,  to  replace  the  first)  was  built 
there,  also  with  hand-sawed   lumber. 

Upon  the  rocks  just  east  of  the  quadrangle  of  whitewashed 
Company's  buildings  stands  a  small  tower,  which  was  built 
nearl)'  a  century  ago  in  order  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
Indians,  who  it  was  feared,  were  planning  to  massacre  the 
whites.  One  of  their  medicinemen  had  prophesied  that  peace 
and  plent)-  were  in  store  for  them  if  the  whites  were  extermin- 
ated, and  that  other  traders  would  soon  come  in,  bringingmore 
and  better  goods.     Until  the  amalgamation  of  the  fur  com- 

•Lake  Athabasca  and  Chippewyan,  are  both  known  as  Athabasca.  The 
settlement  is  called  "Rabaska"  by  the  m^tis.  "Las  sauvages  Pappelaient 
ayabaska  h  cause  des  grandes  herbes  qui  en  couvraient  les  bords,  et  les 
'voyageurs'  en  ont  fait'  '  Rabaska'  "! — Masson,  L.  R.,  Les  Bourgeois,  Vol.  I,  p. 
36. 

57 


58 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


I 


panics  in  1821,  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  occupied  Coal 
Island  calling  their  station  Fort  Wedderburnc.'  Then,  as  no'v, 
the  rivalry  between  the  traders  induced  them  to  visit  the  Indian 
camps  to  procure  furs  and  meat.  Durinjj  the  winter  preceding 
my  visit  each  establishment  kept  men  and  dog  teams  ready  to 
start  at  a  moment's  notice,  whenever  the  hunters  sent  in  a 
report  that  they  had  some  "fur."  If  an  Indian  secured  a  few 
marten  skins,  worth  ten  or  fifteen  dollars,  a  boy  would  be  sent 
in  with  an  empty  sled  to  report  the  fact  to  one  of  the  traders, 
who  would  at  once  send  his  interpreter  for  them.  The  other 
would  soon  hear  of  it  and  dispatch  a  couri(*r  in  hot  pursuit. 
When  the  messenger  arrived  at  the  camp,  the  Indians  had  to  be 
given  a  little  tobacco,  flour,  tea  and  sugar  before  furs  were 
mentioned.  Then  the  whole  story  would  be  repeated — how  the 
Company  had  always  looked  after  its  red  children  and  fed 
them  when  the  fishery  failed,  how  they  had  brought  them  goods 
when  others  could  not,  and  goods  of  a  quality  far  superior  to 
those  of  the  opposition,  which  was  not  going  to  be  in  the 
country  another  year  anywa)-;  if  they  deserted  the  Company 
now,  they  would  be  left  then  to  shift  for  themselves.  Or,  if  it 
happened  to  be  the  free  trader's  interpreter  who  was  speaking, 
he  would  tell  the  Indians  of  the  many  )'ears  during  which  they 
and  their  fathers  had  been  defrauded  by  the  Compan}',  which 
never  paid  well  for  furs  until  his  employers  came,  that  now  they 
brought  the  best  of  goods  to  give  their  red  brothers,  at  ridicu- 
lously low  prices,  all  of  which  would  finally  result  in  a  bargain, 
wherein  the  furs  were  bought  at  the  Edmonton  price.  If  a 
hunter  is  fortunate  enough  to  secure  one  of  the  do/en  silver 
foxes  which  are  trapped  each  winter,  he  is  feasted  and  fawned 
upon  until  he  thinks  he  is  conferring  the  greatest  favor  in  part- 

"  'The  post  was  first  established  by  Roderic  Mackenzie,  on  the  south 
shore  of  the  lalte,  just  eastof  the  debouchure  of  the  Athabasca,  pitched  upon 
a  conspicuous  projection  which  advanced  about  a  league  into  the  lake,  the 
base  of  wnich  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  person  sitting  with  arms  extended 
the  palms  forming,  as  it  were,  a  point.  On  this  we  settled  and  built  a  Fort 
which  wo  called  Chipewean.  It  is  altogether  a  beautiful,  healthy  situation, 
in  the  centre  of  many  excellent  and  never  failing  fisheries,  provided  they 
are  duly  attended  to  at  the  proper  season.  Consideration  importante  dans 
ces  tristes  regions  ou  le  poisson  dtail  k  peu  pr^s  la  seule  ressource  des  Bour- 
geois et  de  leurs  employes  pendant  les  longs  mois  d'hiver."  Masson,  L.R., 
Les  Bourgeois,  Vol.  I,  p.  37. 


ATHABASCA    DISTRICT 


59 


ing  with  it  for  two  hundred"  skins"'  (one  hundred  dollars)  and 
a  gratuity  of  a  hundred  pounds  of  flour  and  a  long  list  of  other 
articles  of  trade.  The  Indians  have  learned  that  they  can  get 
more  flour  at  Edmonton  for  their  furs  than  at  Chippewyan.and 
every  year  or  two  a  party  of  them,  led  by  some  freeman  (dis- 
charged Company's  servant),  visits  the  outside  world.  Their 
time  is  worth  nothing,  and  they  cannot  understand  wh}'  they 
should  pay  more  for  heavy  merchandise  at  Chippewyan  than  at 
the  railway  terminus. 

Lake  Athabasca  is  the  northern  limit  of  the  territorx-  of  the 
Crees;  beyond,  the  various,  sub-tribes  of  the  Athabasc:;n  stock 
occupy  the  country  as  far  as  the  narrow  strip  along  the  coast, 
which  is  inhabited  by  the  Eskimos. 

The  Chippewyans  trading  at  the  fort  are  more  numerous  than 
the  Crees  and,  if  possible,  more  filthy  and  destitute.  The  pro- 
ductive fisheries  about  the  lake  and  the  abundance  of  hares 
insure  them  against  starvation,  while  clothing  may  be  easily 
obtamed  by  a  few  weeks'  work  in  the  fur  season. 

A  great  deal  of  their  time  is  spent  in  gambling,  at  which  they 
will  occupy  themselves  for  days  together  and  wager  their  last 
ounce  of  ammunition  upon  which  they  are  dependent  for  food 
for  the  morrow. 

Delta.  The  Athabasca  and  Peace  Rivers  are  both  fed  by  the 
melting  of  mountain  snow  and  both  carry  an  immense  quantit)-  of 
mud  and  driftwood  into  their  deltas,  which  have  been  extended 
several  miles  from  the  hills  that  mark  the  original  boundaries 
of  the  lake.  The  two  streams  now  bTve  a  common  delta  lying 
in  a  semicircle,  five  miles  southwest  of  the  fort.  This  accu- 
mulation of  silt  has  cut  off  a  portion  of  the  lake  over  twenty- 
five  miles  in  length,  called  Lake  Claire.  The  swamps  and  mud 
flats  of  the  delta  are  intersected  by  a  network  of  channels 
through  which  the  water  flows  in  either  direction,  according  to 

*The  skin  is  the  standard  of  values  in  the  North.  Formerly  it  meant  a 
beaver  skin,  but  it  has  come  to  have  a  fixed  value  equivalent  to  about  fifty 
cents  in  Canadian  money.  It  appears  on  the  Company's  books  as  "Made 
Beaver,"  abbreviated  to  Mi.  All  trade  north  of  Athabasca  Landing  is  car- 
ried on  by  barter,  there  being  no  medium  of  exchange  of  any  sort.  The 
best  "money"  that  a  traveler  can  carry  into  that  region,  if  he  wishes  to 
deal  directly  with  the  Indians,  is  tea  and  tobacco;  the  former,  black  and  of 
good  quality,  the  latter  in  the  form  of  slender  twisted  plugs  know  as 
"negro-head." 


6o 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


the  stage  of  water  in  the  rivers,  or  the  tides  of  the  lake  as  influ- 
enced by  the  wind.  These  channels  swarm  with  muskrats,  and 
in  the  migratory  season  myriads  of  waterfowl  halt  upon  the 
battures  to  feed,  while  a  comparatively  small  number  remain 
during  the  summer  to  breed  in  the  adjoining  marshes.  More 
geese  and  ducks  are  killed  there  than  at  all  other  posts  in  the 
North.  The  big  and  little  vvaveys  are  the  most  abundant  and 
the  most  highl)-  prized,  though  swans  and  Canada  geese, 
ducks  and  cranes  abound. 

It  would  be  several  weeks  before  I  could  continue  upon  the 
journey  northward,  and  as  I  could  not  live  at  the  post  and  col- 
lect in  the  delta,  I  secured  a  skiff  the  day  after  our  arrival 
and,  provided  with  a  few  pounds  of  flour  and  bacon,  set  off 
alone  toward  the  southernmost  of  the  rocky  islands  in  the 
delta  of  the  Quatres  Fourches  or  Peace  River,  which  has 
deposited  its  silt  between  them  until  they  are  connected  by 
low  grass-covered  swamps  containing  many  shallow  lakes.  The 
channels  are  all  willow-fringed,  no  other  tree  or  shrub  growing 
upon  the  low  grounds.  The  only  tent  I  could  get  was  five  feet 
in  height,  without  walls — a  very  poor  shelter  in  which  to  live 
and  work  for  five  weeks.  For  three  days  after  reaching  the 
island  it  snowed  almost  continuously,  making  collecting  rather 
disagreeable  work,  especially  as  I  had  no  means  of  warming 
the  tent  and  had  neither  seal  nor  rubber  boots. 

The  catkins  of  the  earliest  willows  burst  their  envelopes  on 
the  24th  of  May,  the  first  warblers  arrived  on  the  same  day. 
Thenceforward  leaf  and  blossom  rapidly  developed  though 
snow  fell  as  late  as  June  14th.  Frequent  rains  and  northerly 
gales  rendered  camp  life  anything  but  pleasant. 

Each  norning  was  spent  in  making  a  four  or  five  mile  trip 
with  the  skiff  among  the  islands,  in  search  of  water  birds.  As 
I  depended  on  the  game  secured  for  food,  the  success  of  the 
morning's  hunt  had  a  material  effect  upon  the  bill  of  fare  for 
the  day.  The  afternoons  were  spent  in  skinning  birds,  a  task 
which,  from  the  loneliness,  became  inexpressibly  monotonous. 
After  supper,  consisting  of  hot  tea  and  fried  duck,  if  it  was  not 
raining,  or  of  cold  meat  and  cold  water  if  it  were,  I  would  spend 
an  hour  or  two  in  collecting  land  birds,  to  be  cared  for  next 
day.  A  family  of  whiskey  jacks  was  disposed  to  dispute  my 
right  to  encamp  near  them;  they  would  sit  and  scold  for  hours 


ATHABASCA   DISTIRICT 


6l 


until  driven  away.  Two  young  ones,  in  an  interesting  phase  of 
immature  ^.^lumage,  were  specimens  too  desirable  to  be  disre- 
garded. For  two  weeks  after  they  had  been  killed  the  mother 
hovered  about  with  a  pathetic  call  similar  to  the  mewing  note 
of  the  catbird. 

It  required  constant  care  to  prevent  the  mice  from  destroy- 
ing the  birdskins,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  were 
thoroughly  covered  with  arsenic.  This  was  the  only  time  that 
I  ever  felt  any  injurious  effects  from  constantl}' handling  the 
poison.  After  five  weeks  of  introspection,  arsenic  and  rain,  I 
was  glad  to  enter  upon  the  next  stage  of  the  journey,  though  I 
had  been  very  successful  in  securing  a  representative  series  of 
Quatres  Fourches  birds. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  June  2oth  the  "Grahame"  started 
on  her  first  downward  trip.  We  soon  entered  the  Rocky 
River,  which  becomes  the  Slave  after  its  junction  with  the 
Peace,  thirty  miles  below.  The  northern  limit  of  navigation 
for  this  steamer  is  Smith  Landing,  at  the  head  of  the  Smith 
Rapids,  a  hundred  miles  from  Chippew\aii.  A  submerged 
snag  was  struck  as  the  boat  approached  the  landing  place, 
causing  a  hasty  scramble  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  who 
tumbled  several  tons  of  freight  cSuore,  and  some  of  it  into  the 
river,  in  their  haste  to  bring  the  leak  above  the  water  line. 
Aided  by  Captain  Mills,  I  succeeded  in  having  my  outfit  safely 
landed.  From  Smith  Landing  to  Fort  Smith,  a  distance  of  six- 
teen miles,  the  river  is  interrupted  by  a  series  of  rapids  with  a 
total  descent  of  two  hundred  and  forty  feet.  These  were  for- 
merly passed  by  six  or  seven  portages;  the  goods  and  furs  were 
carried  and  the  boats  dragged  across  on  rollers  cut  from  drift 
logs.  The  free  traders  still  follow  this  old  boat  route.  But  the 
Compan)-  has  fransported  all  its  freight  for  the  last  few  years 
in  ox-carts  over  a  swampy  trail  around  the  rapids. 

On  the  2ist  I  accepted  Dr.  Mackay's  invitation  to  descend 
the  rapids  in  his  canoe.  We  crossed  at  once  from  the  Big  Eddy 
at  the  Landing  and  dropped  down  along  the  right  bank  for 
nearly  a  mile  before  reaching  the  first  rapid.  We  then  followed 
narrow  c  annels  at  some  distance  from  the  main  river.  After 
running  ti  -^ough  a  few  small  rapids  we  reached  the  Chest  Por- 
tage. While  the  men  were  carrying  the  canoe  across,  I  visited 
the  falls  below  the  landing  place.     The  channel  was  about  forty 


€2 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


n 


yards  in  width,  with  perpendicular  granite  walls.  A  huge 
quadrangular  boulder  had  fallen  from  the  left  bank,  obstruct- 
ing the  stream  so  that  a  high  cascade  was  formed;  below,  the 
steep  descent  of  a  hundred  yards  terminated  in  an  overfall  into 
a  circular  basin  two  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  into  which  fell 
several  other  cascades.  The  outlet  to  this  boiling  cauldron 
was  by  another  fall  of  considerable  height. 

Tormented  by  clouds  of  mosquitoes,  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney past  small  rapids  and  numerous  islands  until  we  reached  a 
large  eddy  wherein  hundreds  of  driftlogs  were  circling,  the 
channel  below  being  entirely  concealed  by  a  log  jam  that  was 
probably  centuries  old. 

Two  short  portages  were  formerly  made  here  along  the  east 
bank,  but  the  New  Portage,  on  the  other  bank,  is  much  longer. 
This  rapid  is  larger  and  still  more  picturesque  than  the  Cas- 
cade above.  Great  heaps  of  driftwood  lay  upon  the  rocks  and 
the  heads  of  the  islands;  the  logs,  denuded  of  their  bark  and 
frayed  and  worn  b)-  long  buffeting  by  the  stream,  mingled 
their  whitened  forms  in  inextricaule  contusion.  The  muddy 
waters  poured  through  the  granite  gorges  to  fall  with  ceaseless 
roar  in  cascades  of  considerable  height.  The  heavj'  forest, 
through  which  the  sunlight  scarcely  penetrated,  stretched  in  an 
unbroken  wall  on  either  bank.  The  wild  grandeur  of  the  scene 
was  unmarred  b}'  evidences  of  man's  presence,  save  the  grass- 
grown  portage  path  and  a  few  crumbling  posts  beside  the  Raft 
Portage,  which  marked  the  grave  of  a  Good  Hope  Indian.  As 
we  sped  swiftl)'  down  the  narrow  channel  below,  we  saw  fre- 
quent signs  of  the  presence  of  beavers;  Mackenzie  reports  their 
occurrence  there  in  great  numbers  at  the  time  of  his  journey  in 
i^'Sg.  The  metis  kept  a  constant  lookout  for  bears,  which  were 
said  to  be  common  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rapids. 

Emerging  at  length  from  the  labyrinth  of  islands  we  crossed 
the  main  stream,  here  over  a  mile  in  width.  Some  of  the  islands 
were  covered  by  several  feet  of  silt,  deposited  by  melting  ice; 
this  was  honeNcombed  b\-  bank  swallows.  Other  islands  of 
naked  rock  afforded  a  secure  nesting  place  for  gulls.  A  short 
distance  above  us  the  mist  hung  over  the  rapids,  where  the 
main  stream  poured  over  the  ledges  that  had  interrupted  our 
course  at  the  New  Portage. 

Before   us  was  the  "Mountain,"  a  narrow  ridge    extending 


ATHABASCA   DISTRICT 


63 


from  the  left  bank  for  nearly  a  mile  and  terminating  in  a  series 
of  ledges  over  which  the  narrowed  stream  poured  in  a  tumultu- 
ous, roaring  torrent.  A  wooded  island  in  midstream  is  occu- 
pied as  a  breeding  place  by  hundreds  of  white  pelicans.  When 
we  landed  upon  it  there  were  scores  of  them  about  the  nests, 
covering  the  ground.  They  had  destro)ed  all  undergrowth, 
but  the  heav)'  spruce  overhead  prevented  their  rising  in  flight 
until  they  waddled  to  the  bank.  l*-ggs  in  various  stages  of 
incubation  were  scattered  about,  and  many  naked  nestlings 
huddled  together  in  squeaking  heaps  at  our  approach. 

The  Mountain  Portage  is  a  short '  one  across  the  high,  steep, 
sand)'  ridge.  It  is  so  narrow  that  a  cut  across  the  top  several 
feet  in  depth  has  been  made;  boats  are  dragged  across  with  the 
aid  of  block  and  tackle.  The  portage  was  at  one  time  made 
along  the  right  bank,  but  was  abandoned  as  being  too  danger- 
ous. After  passing  some  very  rough  water  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapids  we  crossed  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  flowing  in  a 
straight  reach  to  the  Portage  of  the  Drowned  (Portage  des 
Noyes'-),  over  which  boats  are  run  with  a  half  load. 

The  fishery  at  the  foot  of  these  rapids,  the  last  obstruction  of 
any  consequence  in  the  Mackenzie  River  system,  has  induced 
several  Indian  families  to  build  cabins  along  the  right  bank. 
We  carried  our  canoe  along  the  portage  path  before  their  doors, 
and  reembarked  to  cross  the  broad  stream  to  Fort  Smith.  This 
fort  stands  on  the  level,  sandy  plateau,  high  above  the  river. 
At  the  time  of  mj"  visit,  the  Company's  buildings  consisted  of 
three  low,  barn-roofed  log  structures,  without  the  neat  white- 
washed fence  to  be  seen  at  other  northern  posts.  The  indis- 
pensable flagstaff  stood  at  the  edge  of  the  bluff.  A  log  ware- 
house beside  the  steamboat  landing,  the  mission,  and  a  few 
scattered  huts  made  up  the  "Fort,"  named  in  honor  of  the 
present  governor  of  the  Hudson's  Hay  Compan\',  though  it  has 
been  termed"  "the  most  disreputable  establishment"  and  "the 

>  "  Seven  hundred  paces."  Richardson,  Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  p. 
yi.  It  was  known  to  the  early  voyageurs  as  the  Pelican  Portage,  the  name 
"Mountain"  being  at  tiiat  time  applied  to  a  smaller  port.ige  above.  Mack- 
enzie mentions  "the  hill,"  which  was  crossed  by  a  portage  of  820  paces. 
Voyages,  p.  5. 

•"In  the  year  1786,  five  men  were  drowned,  and  two  canoes  and  some 
packages  lost,  in  the  rapids  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  which  occahiotied 
this  place  to  be  called  the  Portage  lics  Noy^s"     Mackenzie,"  Voyages,  p.  5. 

•Pike,  VVarburton,  Barren  Ground,  p.  17. 


64 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


worst  place  for  mosquitoes  in  the  North."  The  mosquitoes  and 
bulldog  flies*  swarmed  about  the  oxen  used  on  the  portage, 
driving  them  frantic  when  on  the  road,  and  causing  them  to 
spend  most  of  the  night  in  the  smoke  of  fires  kindled  to  pro- 
tect them.  At  each  house  a  pan  of  wet  chips  was  kept  burning 
before  the  door,  producing  an  odor  not  exactly  that  of  incense. 
Under  favorable  atmospheric  conditions  they  would  gather  in 
such  numbers  as  to  cover  the  greater  part  of  one's  clothing, 
each  individual  searching  with  feverish  activity  for  a  vulnerable 
spot.  Lis  maringouins  settle  upon  you  like  angr)-  bees  and  no 
amount  of  switching  or  brushing  will  drive  them  off. 

When  I  attempted  to  collect  birds  the  mosquitoes  sometimes 
actually  covered  the  gun  barrels  and  concealed  the  sights. 
The  mosquito  helmet  I  was  compelled  to  wear  seriously  ob- 
structed my  vision,  and  they  alwajs  found  their  way  through  its 
meshes.  The)-  have  not  the  timid  and  hesitating  manner  that 
characterizes  the  southern  mosquito,  but  realizing  that  their 
summer  is  short  and  naturalists  are  few,  they  waste  no  time  but 
light  squarely  upon  their  bills  and  go  to  work.  I  have  smeared 
coal  oil,  bacon  grease,  and  other  precious  ointments  upon  my 

*  "June  23d,  [1848].  The  7'rt*rt«M.«  named  by  the  voyageurs 'Bull-dog,'  has 
been  common  for  two  days.  The  current  notion  is,  that  this  tly  cuts  a  piece 
of  flesh  from  his  victim,  and  at  flrst  sight  there  seems  to  be  truth  in  the 
opinion.  The  fly  alights  on  the  hands  or  face  so  gently  that  if  not  seen  he 
is  scarcely  felt  until  he  makes  his  wound,  which  produces  a  stinging  as  if 
the  skin  had  been  touched  by  a  live  coal.  The  hand  is  quickly  raised 
toward  the  spot  and  the  insect  flies  off.  A  drop  of  blood,  oozing  from  the 
puncture,  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  gaping  wound,  and  the  fly  is  sup- 
posed to  have  carried  off  a  morsel  of  flesh.  In  fact,  the  Tabaiiiis,  inserts  a 
five-bladed  lancet,  makes  a  perforation  like  a  leech-bite,  and,  introducing 
his  flexible  proboscis,  proceeds  to  suck  the  blood.  *  *  These  Talnini  slt*: 
troublesome  only  toward  noon  and  in  a  bright  sun,  when  the  heat  beatf 
down  the  mosquitoes."     Richardson,  Arctic  Scanhitifr  Expedition,  p.  67. 

This  fly  is  larger  than  the  familiar  blue-bottle.  I  frequently  noticed  that 
they  seemed  to  pursue  a  premeditated  plan  to  make  their  way  to  my 
hands  or  face,  unobserved,  by  alighting  on  my  cuffs  or  collar  and  crawling 
thence  to  the  exposed  flesh.  I  first  met  them  at  Selkirk,  on  the  Red  River 
where  they  are  a  great  pest.  At  Chemawawin,  on  the  Saskatchewan,  our 
tent,  one  sultry  afternoon,  was  filled  with  them  ashy  a  swarm  of  bees.  We 
surrendered  our  domicile  to  them  and  went  outside  among  the  mosquitoes 
which,  at  least,  sounded  a  warning  before  making  an  attack.  The  bull-dog 
is  found,  I  believe,  throughout  the  entire  Northwest.  Schwatka  {Along 
Alaskii\s  tireat  River,  p.  125)  mentions  the  occurrence  of  a  "horse"  fly  on  the 
Yukon,  which  is  probably  a  species  of  Tabunus, 


ATHABASCA   DISTRICT 


65 


no 


face  and  hands,  with  only  a  temporary  effect.  My  face  and 
wrists  were  often  swollen  from  their  poisonous  attacks.*  Sleep 
is  impossible  without  a  net  to  completely  cover  one.  Indians, 
who  have  no  nets,  lie  half  suffocated  with  their  heads  covered 
by  their  woolen  blankets.  I  was  once  forced  to  follow  this 
plan  in  the  mountains  of  British  Columbia,  and  nothing  but 
extreme  exhaustion  could  have  induced  sleep. 

The  clerk  in  charge  at  Fort  Smith  was  living  upon  dried 
suckers.  These  fish  are  obtained  in  large  numbers  below  the 
rapids,  and  form  a  considerable  part  of  the  food  supply  of  the 
Indians  of  the  neighborhood.  While  they  are  drying,  a  little 
sand  finds  its  way  into  the  gashes  made  in  the  fish,  where  it 
remains  to  grate  upon  the  teeth  of  the  unfortunate  compelled 
to  eat  it. 

Captain  Mills  and  I  set  out  on  June  26th  to  visit  the  Salt 
Plains,  from  which  the  salt  for  the  North  is  obtained.  The  salt 
springs  are  situated  forty  miles  northwest  of  Fort  Smith,  and 
are  reached  by  descending  the  Slave  to  the  mouth  of  the  Salt 
River,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  and  ascending  the  latter 
stream.  On  the  way  we  landed  at  Bell's  Rock,  six  miles  below 
the  post,  and  made  an  unsuccessful  search  for  fossils.  This 
low  ledge  of  brecciated  limestone  and  that  underljing  the 
Poinle  de  Gravois  on  the  right  bank,  two  miles  below,  are  the 
only  exposures  of  limestone  that  I  saw  on  the  Slave  River. 

The  swift  current  at  Gravel  Point  forms  a  strong  edd>'  where 
fish  are  always  abundant.  This  unfailing  food  suppl}'  accounts 
for  the  presence  of  three  or  four  Indian  cabins  on  the  bank 
above.  Permanent  habitations  at  any  distance  from  the  Com- 
pany's posts  are  of  rare  occurrence.  The  presence  of  a  fishery 
at  the  mouth  of  Salt  River  was  indicated  bj-  the  large  number 
of  drj'ing  stages.     The  ruins  of  a  log  cabin  were  visible  from 

^Compare  King,  Narratix>e,  p.  41.  "In  addition  to  the  scorching  heat  of 
the  sun,  we  had  been  tornienled  by  the  mosquitoes,  and  so  disfigured  by 
them  that  it  was  difficult  to  distinguish  one  man  from  another."  Com- 
mander Pullen  wrote  of  the  experiences  of  his  boat  party  with  mosquitoes, 
in  descending  the  Macl^enzie,  "Day  or  night  made  no  difference  to  them; 
they  were  our  eternal  tormenters.  and  in  no  iiot  country  tliat  I  have  ever 
been  have  I  found  them  so  troublesome.  In  the  daytime  they  were  not  our 
only  pests,  for  the  bulldogs  (immense  large  tlies)  were  almost  as  thick  and 
troublesome  with  their  sharp  and  poignant  bite;  so  between  them  both  we 
got  but  little  rest."     Journal  (Ur.  Ulue  Book),  1852,  Vol.  50,  p.  34. 


5 


f  i 
I,! 


66 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


the  main  stream.  This  was  built  by  Beaulieu,  who  was  guide 
and  hunter  of  Franklin's  second  expedition. 

Salt  River  is  from  thirty  to  sixty  yards  in  width,  and  for  ten 
miles  above  its  uiouth  is  without  perceptible  current.  Beyond 
that  point  the  water  is  distinctly  brackish.  The  stream  winds 
in  horseshoe  curves  through  a  broad  valley,  timbered  with 
spruce  and  aspen.  I  collected  a  pair  of  half-grown  horned 
ow^ls,  a  raven  and  several  ducks,  while  ascending  the  river.  The 
Salt  Plains  are  five  miles  in  width  and  lie  at  the  base  of  hills 
rising  to  a  considerable  height.  The  springs  were  first  described 
by  Richardson,  who  visited  them  in  1820.  They  are  near  the 
base  of  a  hill'  and  are  enclosed  by  basins,  from  which  the 
water  evaporates  and  leaves  large  quantities  of  pure  crystal 
salt.  The  clerk  at  Fort  Smith  annually  sends  a  boat  to  the 
springs  for  a  load  of  salt,  which  is  stored  in  bags  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  and  taken  on  board  the  steamer  for  distribution 
throughout  Mackenzie  River  District. 

When  in  sight  of  this  "mountain  "  we  were  compelled  to  tun) 
back,  as  the  captain  expected  the  "Wngley"  to  arrive  at  Fort 
Smith  that  evening.  We  reached  the  post  on  the  evening  of 
the  28th,  but  the  "Wrigley"did  not  arrive  until  the  morning  of 
July  2d.  Several  officials  of  the  Company,  missionaries,  retir- 
ing servants  en  route  to  Winnipeg,  and  fourteen  Hare  Indians 
from  Good  Hope,  who  were  to  work  on  the  Athabasca  River 
transport,  were  on  board. 

We  started  down  the  river  at  three  o'clock  a.  m.,  July  5th.  The 
"Wrigle)'"  had  two  pilots,  called  "guides"  lince  the  York  boat 
daj's,  when  the  leader  of  the  brigade  really  served  in  that  ca- 
pacity. One  of  these,  "Old"  John  Hope,  was  a  pure  blood  Cree; 
the  other,  Jose  Souiar,  known  as  "Susy,"  was  a  French  metis. 
Owing  to  the  high  latitude,  the  "  Wrigley"  has  continuous  light 
on  her  thirteen  hundred  mile  run  until  late  in  the  season,  so 
that  one  of  these  men  was  always  at  the  wheel  when  the  boat 
was  under  way. 

The  Slave  River  is  about  half  a  mile  in  width  below  the  rap- 
ids, except  where  it  expands  to  include  the  somewhat  numerous 
wooded  islands  which  resemble  those  in  the  lower  Athabasca. 

During  the  day  we  rounded  Le  Grand  Detour,  traveling  fif- 
teen miles  to  gain  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  at  Point  Ennuyeux 

>  See  illustration  in  Back,  Narrative,  p.  80. 


ATHABASCA    DISTRICT 


67 


we  were  an  hour  in  going  around  a  bend  that  is  crossed  in 
winter  in  five  minutes.  Near  the  i  louth  of  the  river  we  stopped 
to  wood  up,  at  midnight,  soon  after  which  the  steamer  ran  at 
full  speed  upon  a  gravel  bar.  The  boat  heeled  over  until  I 
was  nearly  thrown  out  of  my  bunk.  "Susy,"  who  was  at  the 
wheel  at  the  time,  remarked  in  a  satisfied  tone,  "I  thought  me 
there  was  a  bar  here  somewhere." 

We  were  four  hours  in  getting  off.  We  then  entered  one  of 
the  weste  ii  channels  of  the  broad  delta  and  passed  three  or  four 
miles  of  mud-flats  off  the  mouth  before  reaching  the  deep  water 
of  the  lake.  Turning  southward  around  Mission  Island,  we 
reached  Resolution  early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th.  The 
anchor  was  dropped  two  hundred  yards  from  the  beach  and  a 
few  pieces  were  sent  ashore. 

An  unusually  large  number  of  musk-ox  skins  had  been 
brought  in,  and  rivalr}'  between  the  Company  and  the  free 
traders  had  trebled  the  price  formerly  paid  for  them.  This  had 
emptied  the  store  and  caused  goods  to  be  supplied  at  the  first, 
instead  of  the  third,  trip  of  the  steamer. 

I  counted  sixty  lodges  on  the  beach  before  the  fort  The 
most  of  them  were  occupied  by  Yellow  Knife  Indians  from  the 
north  shore  of  the  lake. 

At  nine  o'clock  we  were  under  way  again,  headed  for  Rae  on 
the  Northern  Arm.  The  main  body  of  the  lake  is  sixty  miles 
in  width  and  the  Northern  Arm  is  eighty  in  length.  This  broad 
traverse  requires  a  much  more  seaworthy  vessel  than  are  the 
upper  river  steamers.  The  "Wrigley"  was  built  at  Fort  Smith 
in  1886,  all  the  lumber  used  being  sawed  by  hand.  Her  dimen- 
sions were  eighty  feet  keel,  fourteen  feet  beam,  six  feet  draft, 
with  a  four  and  a  half  feet  screw  Her  average  speed  on  the 
lake  is  over  eight  miles  an  hour.  The  running  time  from  Fort 
Smith  to  the  northernmost  post  (a  distance  of  over  twelve 
hundred  miles)  is  five  days.  The  return  trip  ag.'  ^t  the  cur- 
rent of  the  Mackenzie  requires  eight  and  a  hali  lys.  She  is 
soon  to  be  replaced  by  a  new  boat,  to  be  built  .ng  the  win- 
ter of  1896-7. 


CHAPTER  V 

FORT  RAE 


I,     I 


WHILE  crossing  the  lake,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  discuss 
my  plans  with  Mr.  J.  S.  Camsell,  who  was  accompanying 
the  "Wrigley"  on  her  first  trip.  He  considered  the  plan  of 
wintering  on  the  Great  Bear  Lake  impracticable,  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  securing  the  assistance  of  the  Indians,  and  strongly 
advised  me  to  make  Rae  my  headquarters,  as  a  larger  number 
of  musk-ox  robes  were  traded  there  than  at  any  other  post 
except  Resolution.  He  thought  that  an  interpreter  could  not 
be  easily  found  about  the  Great  Bear  Lake  who  would  be  will- 
ing to  enter  the  Barren  Ground  with  me.  Both  he  and  Captain 
Bell  recommended  a  young  Indian,  the  adopted  son  of  the 
French  metis  assistant  clerk  at  Rae,  who  they  thought  would 
be  willing  to  act  as  interpreter  and  snan-of-all-work,  if  I  decided 
to  winter  on  the  Great  Slave  Lake. 

Seven  miles  from  Rae,  we  entered  a  narrow  buoyed  channel 
only  eight  or  ten  feet  in  depth.  La  Grosse  He,  a  granite  island 
a  hundred  feet  or  more  in  height,  extended  for  some  distance 
on  our  left,  on  the  right  a  large  number  of  barren  rocks  and 
wooded  islets  fringed  the  shore  of  the  mainland.  As  usual  on 
the  arrival  of  the  steamer,  the  British  flag,  with  the  trlismanic 
white  letters  HB  C,  was  flying  at  the  post.  We  anchored  some 
distance  from  the  beach,  and  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  post 
came  on  board.  He  was  accompanied  by  the  boy,  Andrew 
Leviolette,  whom  1  wished  to  engage.  Andrew  made  no  objec- 
tion to  the  terms  offered  by  Mr.  Camsell,  and  readily  agreed  to 
work  for  a  skin  a  day  and  his  board. 

At  I  A.  M.,July  7th,the"Wrigley"  weighed  anchor  and  started 
on  the  longest  voyage  of  her  season's  run.     Rae  is  not  on  the 

68 


r^ 


5i^^^' 


i,  ;>M. 


J  rt. 


ONI     <>(      1  III:    MAW     I,  x|.,| 


'S    IN     nil      M  I.ICIU     KNll   I      HIM.U. 


istlu- 
Klliy's 


FORT   RAE  ^ 

main  route  and  is  usually  visited  on  but  one  inward  trip,  the 
second,  but  for  the  same  reason  as  at  Resolution  the  store  was 
empty,  and  goods  must  be  had  to  secure  the  furs  which  the 
Indians  were  preparing  to  carry  in  large  canoes  to  the  free 
traders  across  the  lake. 

Rae  is  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a  peninsula  extending 
from  the  east  shore  nearly  half  way  across  the  arm,  there  about 
five  miles  wide.  Cliffs  of  a  compact  yellowish  limestone  rise 
to  a  considerable  height*  and  furnish  the  only  exposures  of 
Paleozoic  rocks  to  be  found  on  the  east  shore.  The  arm 
marks  in  a  general  way  the  western  limit  of  the  Arch.-ean,  but 
two  isolated  granite  hills  stand  on  the  west  shore,  south  of  the 
fort.  Five  miles  eastward,  La  Grosse  Roche,  the  only  eleva- 
tion east  of  the  arm,  rises  in  a  rugged  granite  ridge,  on  the 
eastern  face  of  which  the  eagles  find  a  nesting  place.  The  nar- 
row baj's  from  the  lake  penetrate  almost  to  the  base  of  the 
precipice,  and  separate  the  low,  rounded,  granite  hummocks 
into  a  multitude  of  islands. 

The  "  Mountain  "  was  formerly  an  island;  the  Dog  Rib  name 
—  Nishy-kuf^  signifies  Island-hill  post.  The  channel  was  filled 
twenty  years  ago,  and  is  now  dry  and  overgrown  with  willows. 
The  timber  has  been  stripped  from  the  hill  for  fuel  until  it  is 
now  little  more  than  a  barren  rock.  Wind-swept  at  all  seasons, 
five  miles  from  fuel,  which  must  be  hauled  with  dogs,  Rae  is  not 
an  attractive  .spot,  its  only  redeeming  feature  being  the  unfail- 
ing fishery  before  its  doors.  The  country  about  Rae  is  wooded; 
the  timber  on  the  east  shore  is  of  little  value  for  building  pur- 
poses. Fair-sized  spruce  and  banksian  pine  is  obtainable  from 
the  west  shore  which  soon  rises  to  a  plateau  with  innumerable 
ponds  and  muskegs,  and  some  groves  of  —  for  that  region  — 
excellent  timber. 

Two  hundred  yards  from  the  big  house,  on  the  shore  of  a 
little  cove  called  Sandy  Bay,  a  few  crumbling  ruins  of  clay  and 
stone  chimneys  mark  the  site  of  an  "old  fort,"  abandoned  so 
long  ago  that  nothing  is  known  by  the  present  inhabitants  con- 
cerning it.  Another  fort  once  stood  near  the  Big  Point, 
twenty-five  miles  south,  and  still  another"^  had  been  established 

*  Two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  according  to  Captain  Dawson.  Observa- 
lions  of  the  International  Circumpolar  Expedition,  Rae,  p.  xi. 

'Original  Fort  Providence.     Masson,  I..  R.,  Z,w  Bourgeois,  Vol.  I,  p.  40. 


70 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


in  1789,  on  Marten  Lake,  nearly  a  hundred  miles  northwest  of 
Rae.     The  present  post  was  established  forty  years  ago. 

Rae  was  for  many  years  the  best  provision  post  in  the  Mack- 
enzie District,  and  furnished  thousands  of  pounds  of  meat  for 
the  river  transport;  but  the  caribou  have  been  driven  back 
toward  the  Barren  Ground,  and  the  "hungry  and  desolate" 
post  now  receives  scarcely  enough  meat  and  grease  to  supply 
its  own  people.  As  the  caribou  failed,  the  Indians  resorted  to 
trapping  and  musk-ox  hunting,  so  that  the  place  now  makes  a 
good  return  of  furs. 

Only  two  white  men  lived  at  Rae  when  I  landed  there;  "Old 
Jock"  Wilson,  a  chief  trader  in  the  Company's  service,  admin- 
istered to  a  small  portion  of  the  earthly  wants  of  the  natives, 
while  their  spiritual  welfare  was  presided  over  by  P6re  Ruore, 
a  Roman  Catholic  missionar)' from  Southern  France.  Mr.  Wil- 
son had  a  peculiar  habit  of  refusing  to  speak  to  any  one  for  a 
week  at  a  time  if  anything  displeased  him.  He  was  assisted  by 
Antoine  Leviolette,  a  metis  clerk,  who  with  his  wife  boarded 
at  the  "master's  table." 

For  the  first  ten  days  I  lived  in  the  big  house.  Our  fare  con- 
sisted of  boiled  dried  caribou  meat,  so  black,  tough  and  cov- 
ered with  hairs  that  the  sight  of  it  soon  became  repugnant. 
One  can  eat  a  full  meal  of  this  dried  meat,  dry  meat,  dry  tur- 
key, or  "  scrap,"  as  it  is  called,  and  feel  just  as  hungry  as  before. 
Twice  a  day  a  plate  of  four  small  "cakes "of  unleavened  bread 
was  placed  on  the  table.  For  lunch  on  Sunday  there  was  a 
rice  pudding  without  milk,  and  no  bread.  At  breakfast  only 
there  was  sugar  for  the  tea. 

There  was  little  to  be  done  near  the  post,  and  I  decided  to 
make  a  summer  trip  toward  the  Barren  Ground  with  several 
objects  in  view;  to  collect  ornithological  specimens,  to  secure 
caribou  skins  before  they  had  assumed  their  winter  pelage,  to 
search  for  breeding  places  of  water  birds  to  be  visited  during 
the  following  year,  and  last,  but  not  least,  to  get  something  to 
eat,  as  the  unvaried  diet  of  tasteless,  leathery  dried  meat  was 
growing  intolerable. 

I  tried  to  engage  the  services  of  some  of  the  Indians  who,  to 
the  number  of  three  hundred,  were  temporarily  encamped  about 
the  post.  Naohmby,  "The  Bear  Lake  Chief,"  was  said  to  be 
the  most  intelligent  and  the  most  obliging  of  the  Dog  Rib 


FORT    RAE 


71 


leaders.  I  soon  discovered,  however,  that  arrangements  could 
not  be  made  with  ease  and  dispatch.  Naohmby  had  supersti- 
tious scruples  about  admittio}^  a  Mollah  (whit  man)  into  their 
hunting  grounds.  1  afterwards  learned  that  he  thought,  as  did 
////the  Indians  of  the  North,  that  if  I  sent  down  skins  of  the 
caribou  to  be  mounted  in  mj-  country,  they  would  live  there 
forever;  which  happy  fate  would  induce  all  the  vast  herds  that 
roam  over  the  Harren  Ground  to  migrate  southward  to  join 
them.  I  did  not  know  at  the  time  why  he  found  so  many  triv- 
ial excuses  for  not  accepting  the  terms  offered  him  —  his  young 
men  already  had  their  canoes  loaded.  Andrew  and  I  could  not 
paddle  alone  because  there  were  man)'  dangerous  rapids.  They 
would  have  to  starve  two  weeks  before  reaching  the  caribou, 
which  were  so  far  away  that  I  would  lose  courage  altogether. 
His  health  was  not  good  and  perhaps  he  would  stop  some- 
where and  fish  instead  of  making  tiie  long  trip  after  caribou. 

He  said  that  they  had  all  decided  not  to  make  their  usual 
fall  hunt  for  musk-ox, as  the  days  were  so  short  and  the  season 
so  stormy,  that  it  was  altogether  too  dangerous  an  undertaking 
now  that  they  had  to  go  so  far  out  from  the  timber.  Five  or 
six  years  ago,  the  musk-ox  were  found  west  of  the  Coppermine 
River,  where  a  few  clumps  of  stunted  spruce  maintain  a  foot- 
hold in  protected  situations,  but  each  year  the  hunters  had 
had  to  penetrate  farther  into  the  Harren  Ground,  and  at  least 
one  of  their  number  had  been  stricken  with  paralysis  upon  each 
trip.  Three  years  before  a  hunter  had  been  lost  in  a  storm  and 
never  found.  The\-  had  therefore  decided  to  hunt  musk-ox  in 
the  spring  only.  This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me  as  1  had 
expected  to  engage  in  this  hunt  during  November  and  be  pre- 
pared for  an  early  start  toward  the  Coppermine  the  next 
spring.  Naohmby  also  discouraged  m)-  plan.  None  of  his 
people  ever  saw  the  Arctic  Sea;  they  were  afraid  of  the  Eski- 
mos. They  could  not  descend  the  Coppermine  more  than  one 
daj's  travel  from  the  point  where  they  crossed  it  on  the  way  to 
the  musk-ox  countrj'.  None  of  his  brigade  would  accompany 
me  down  the  river.  Nor  did  he  know  of  any  locality  where 
nests  and  eggs  of  water  birds  could  be  obtained. 

The  Yellow  Knife  River.  The  Indians  would  not  allow  me  to 
accompany  them  on  the  caribou  hunt.  It  was  fifteen  daws' 
travel  by  canoe  to  the  nearest  point  where  the  caribou  might 


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EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


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be  found,  which,  in  a  wilderness  of  broken  timbered  hills  and 
lakes,  was  too  far  to  venture  with  Andrew  alone,  as  he  had 
come  from  Simpson  the  )'ear  before  and  knew  no  more  about 
the  country  than  I.  I  decided  to  make  a  reconnaissance  on  my 
own  account  toward  the  Barren  Ground  by  way  of  the  Yellow 
Knife  River,  which  enters  the  lake  sixty  miles  southeast  of  Rae. 

I  received  directions  as  to  the  route  from  four  different  per- 
sons—  who  all  disagreed.  An  Indian  is  usually  considered  a 
safe  guide,  though  I  have  known  of  their  sense  of  orientation 
being  at  fault.  He  may  be  a  safe  guide,  but  I  never  found  him 
a  reliable  guide  post.  My  two  years'  experience  was  too  brief 
to  allow  me  to  generalize;  I  can  only  say  that  such  sketch 
maps  as  they  prepared  for  me  were  sadly  out  of  proportion, 
and  nothing  further  than  the  existence  of  a  topographical  feat- 
ure could  be  established. 

There  were  two  hundred  canoes  at  the  post,  but  none  of  them 
were  large  enough  for  two  men  and  the  camp  outfit,  except 
those  made  especially  for  crossing  the  lake,  which  it  would  be 
impossible  to  use,  owing  to  the  portages.  The  shortest  route 
to  the  Barren  Ground  is  said  to  contain  forty  portages,  so  that 
the  birch-bark  canoes  are  made  very  light  for  carrying.  They 
are  thirteen  to  fifteen  feet  in  length,  two  feet  beam,  with  straight 
sides.  The  ends  are  curved  upward  and  decked  over  with 
bark  for  a  short  distance.  Owing  to  the  long  upward  curve 
they  are  short  keeled  and  cranky.  They  veer  so  easily  that 
only  one  or  two  strokes  can  be  taken  before  changing  to  the 
other  side.  Double-bladed.  paddles  are  never  used,  though  an 
extra  paddle  is  always  carried  for  use  in  case  one  is  broken  in 
a  rapid  or  a  heavy  sea. 

Early  on  the  afternoon  of  July  i8th  Andrew  and  I  loaded 
our  canoes  on  the  rocky  beach  before  the  post,  and  "  amid  the 
applause  of  the  multitude,"  I  made  my  first  attempt  at  paddling 
single-handed.  It  was  vain  to  try  to  reassure  myself  with  the 
thought  that  the  spectators  were  half-breeds  and  Indians  whose 
opinion,  however  expressed,  could  not  effect  my  nerves.  I  did 
care  very  much,  indeed,  for  the  estimate  formed  by  the  fort 
metis  has  great  weight  with  the  Indians,  and  my  success  as  a 
zoological  collector  depended  to  a  considerable  extent  on  just 
such  trivial  considerations.  To  those  people,  the  appearance 
presented  by  a  visitor  at  his  arrival  and  departure  is  of  the 


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utmost  importance.  Then  it  is  that  the  smartest  colors  are 
worn;  the  canoeist  takes  a  deliberate  stroke,  but  those  beside 
him  can  see  the  bend  of  the  paddle-blade,  and  the  knotting  of 
his  muscles,  as  he  grips  the  handle  more  tightly.  My  canoe 
seemed  disposed,  at  first,  to  travel  in  a  circle,  and  as  the  direction 
■of  the  revolution  could  not  be  foretold,  my  companion  found 
it  safer  to  give  me  a  wide  seaway.  There  was  little  danger  of 
capsizing,  however,  owing  to  the  load  which  steadied  the  craft, 
and  I  soon  succeeded  in  making  tolerable  progress. 

The  only  shelter  we  had  been  able  to  get  was  a  leaky  tar- 
paulin, through  which  the  rain,  which  came  up  that  evening, 
dripped  upon  us  for  the  next  thirty-six  hours,  for  the  wind 
held  us  all  that  time  in  camp. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  we  passed  a  group  of  rocky 
islands,  occupied  as  a  breeding  place  by  a  colony  of  gulls, 
which  rose  at  our  approach  and  settled  in  the  tops  of  the 
slender  fir  trees  on  the  mainland.  The  unusual  perch  and  the 
pretty  effect  of  the  evening  sun  shining  upon  the  snow-white 
birds,  a  single  one  crowning  each  dark  column  of  needles  and 
cones,  attracted  even  Andrew's  attention. 

Early  the  fifth  day  we  overtook  an  Indian  who,  accompanied 
by  his  wife,  was  on  his  way  to  the  Yellow  Knife.  They  had 
just  stopped  to  cook  some  Hutchins'  geese,  and  of  course 
Andrew  became  very  hungry  at  sight  of  their  fire  and  wished 
to  join  them.  The  old  wife  in  plucking  the  birds,  transferred 
tufts  of  down  to  her  own  person  by  frequent  attention  to  the 
parasites  with  which  all  the  Dog  Ribs  are  infested.  Stripping 
the  viscera  through  her  fingers  and  eating  the  choicer  mor- 
sels, she  continued  to  scratch,  thus  adding  grease  and  more  dirt 
to  her  grotesque  crown.  We  continued  through  the  winding 
€henals  (anglicized  as  "schnys"),  among  low  islands,  where  we 
often  ran  uncomfortably  close  to  sunken  rocks.  The  Indian 
couple  guided  us  the  rest  of  the  day.  They  had  two  dogs  in 
each  canoe  that  lay  quietly  in  the  bottom  until  we  gave  chase 
to  a  flock  of  young  geese,  when  they  threatened  to  capsize  the 
canoes  by  their  attempts  to  stand  on  the  gunwales.  These  dogs 
are  trained  when  young  to  enter  the  canoes  when  called;  any 
disposition  toward  restlessness  is  met  with  a  vigorous  rap  from 
the  paddle. 

Within  five  miles  of  Yellow  Knife  Bay  the  islands  became 
larger  with  high  and  precipitous  cliffs  of  granite. 


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!•    I 


74 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


The  next  day,  which  was  Sunday,  we  were  compelled  to  lie 
in  camp  by  a  northeast  wind  that  covered  the  bay  with  white 
caps.  In  traveling  in  the  North,  Sunday  is  seldom  observed 
as  a  day  of  rest.  The  natives  perform  the  usual  service  and 
then  continue  their  journey.  Some  missionaries  remain  in 
camp  unless  there  is  a  fair  wind  blowing.  Yellow  Knife  Bay  is 
nearly  clear  of  islands.  The  shores  approach  to  within  a  mile 
of  each  other,  inclosing  an  inner  bay,  where  we  passed  a  large 
canoe  load  of  Yellow  Knives  on  their  way  toward  the  river. 
At  the  river's  mouth  the  current  was  scarcely  perceptible.  For 
the  next  six  miles  the  channel  expanded  into  three  small  lakes 
the  first  two  of  which  contained  islands.  We  kept  to  the  left 
at  a  venture  and  found  that  we  were  following  the  shortest 
route. 

The  first  rapid  has  a  descent  of  about  ten  feet.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  make  a  portage  in  ascending  the  stream,  but  the  Indians 
are  said  to  run  the  rapids  on  the  return  trip.  ' 

While  "Baron"  Leviolette  was  descending  this  chute  in  a 
York  boat  thirty  years  ago,  one  of  the  oars  struck  a  rock  and 
killed  the  man  holding  it,  as  the  handle  was  driven  forward. 

There  is  a  fishery  in  the  strong  eddy  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids, 
where  the  natives  set  their  gill-nets  for  whitefish  and  incon- 
nues  or  "be-vwu-li  cu-g-a,"  the  Dog  Rib  name  for  the  river 
being  Be-vwu-li  Te.  This  was  the  rendezvous  of  Little  Cra- 
peau's  brigade  of  Yellow  Knives.  About  fifty  had  already 
arrived  and  were  encamped  on  the  grassy  slope  below  the 
gorge,  through  which  the  noisy  stream  finds  its  way  from  the 
lake.  They  were  busily  engaged  in  building  small  canoes  for 
the  inland  journey  to  the  caribou.  The  lake  canoes  were  drawn 
out  and  left  bottom  up,  in  the  shade  of  the  trees,  where  they 
would  remain  until  required  *he  following  spring  to  transport 
furs  to  Resolution.  Large  rolls  of  birch  bark  were  lying  about 
which  had  been  brought  from  the  delta  of  the  Slave  River,  a 
hundred  miles  distant,  by  the  canoe  route.  The  canoe  birch, 
Beiula  papyrifera  Marshall,  attains  a  much  greater  size  on  the 
south  than  on  the  north  shore  of  the  lake.  The  men  were  cut- 
ting prows  and  stern-pieces  from  dry  spruce  stumps  which  had 
the  required  curve.  The  women  were  sewing  the  squares  of 
bark  togeth;*r  with  v/attap  (split  pine  roots). 

Having  obtained  a  few  directions,  which  proved  altogether 


wl 

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// 


FORT   RAE 


75 


wrong,  about  the  route,  we  crossed  the  portage  of  a  hundred 
yards,  on  the  right  of  the  rapids,  and  launched  the  canoes  upon 
Prospect  Lake.  The  Yellow  Knife  River  is  simply  a  chain  of 
lakes  connected  by  rapids  and  falls.  The  lakes  are  usually  long 
and  narrow,  their  general  direction  being  north  and  south  or 
northeast  and  southwest. 

We  followed  the  rugged  cliffs  on  our  left  for  half  a  mile, 
then  turned  to  the  left  through  a  broad  channel  into  the  north- 
ern arm  of  the  lake.  We  camped  upon  a  small  bay  on  the  west 
shore  near  the  site  of  another  "old  fort."  The  lake  terminates 
in  two  bays.  We  entered  the  wrong  one  the  next  morning  and 
had  to  turn  back,  finding  that  the  stream  entered  the  western- 
most by  a  narrow  oblique  channel,  not  visible  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  entranc  ,•.  We  soon  reached  a  series  of  cascades  about 
a  mile  in  length.  The  portage  trail  of  more  than  a  thousand 
paces  leads  from  the  east  bank  of  the  basin  at  the  foot  of  the 
last  chute  to  Fishing  Lake,  at  a  point  some  distance  south  of 
the  river  channel.  This  was  our  longest  portage  and  I  fully 
realized  the  advantage  of  having  a  light  canoe  by  the  time  I 
had  carried  mine  across. 

We  were  unable  to  form  any  estimate  of  the  extent  of  Fish- 
ing Lake  as  a  wooded  peninsula  shut  out  the  eastern  arm  from 
view.  A  mile  and  a  half  northward,  we  entered  the  river, 
where  a  ledge  of  rocks  compelled  us  to  portage  half  our  load. 
Crossing  a  small  lake  we  reached  a  cascade  with  a  portage  of 
fifty  yards  on  the  left.  We  were  now  upon  the  Nine  Lakes,  a 
long  irregular  body  of  water  containing  many  islands.  We 
crossed  to  the  left  through  a  narrow  bay,  then  turned  eastward. 
We  searched  for  two  hours  in  a  bay  to  the  left  for  a  por- 
tage, which  Andrew  said  he  had  been  told  existed  there,  and 
finally  gave  it  up  and  entered  the  bay  on  the  right,  through 
which  we  passed  without  portaging.  Passing  a  small  colony  of 
ring-billed  gulls,  we  camped  on  the  north  shore  where  a  cas- 
cade came  tumbling  from  a  picturesque  little  chain  of  lakes 
above  us. 

In  the  morning  we  chose  the  southernmost  of  three  bays, 
before  us  and  found  a  chute  about  fifteen  feet  in  height,  which 
we  passed  by  a  portage  of  fifty  yards  on  the  left.  On  our 
return  trip  we  heard  the  roar  of  rapids  in  the  direction  of 
the  northern  bay,  indicating  the  presence  of  a  tributary  of  con- 


■.^ 


76 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


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siderable  size.  This  lake,  perhaps  the  Lower  Carp  Lake  of 
Franklin,  is  bordered  upon  the  north  by  the  "ironstone"  for- 
mation and  on  the  :outh  by  cliffs  exceeding  five  hundred  feet 
in  height,  containing  conspicuous  bands  of  feldspar  and,  in 
places,  considerable  quantities  of  mica.  We  encamped  at  the 
extremity  of  the  lake.  Our  net  yielding  no  fish,  we  moved  the 
next  morning  to  the  river,  which  enters  the  lake  near  the 
middle  of  the  south  shore  and  camped  at  the  foot  of  a  short 
rapid.  The  next  morning  we  found  nothing  in  the  net.  We 
had  a  gull  for  breakfast,  however,  a  sharp-tailed  grouse  for 
lunch  and  for  dinner  the  staff  of  (Northern)  life — dried  meat. 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  followed  the  channel  of  irregular 
width  for  a  couple  of  miles  to  a  large  lake  extending  toward 
the  southward.  The  sound  of  rapids  directed  us  to  the  river, 
two  miles  down  the  east  shore,  where  the  chute  is  at  least  fifty 
feet  in  height.  A  few  trees  cut  during  the  preceding  winter 
were  the  only  sign  that  the  place  had  ever  been  visited.  The 
portage  of  two  hundred  yards  on  the  left  was  quite  open.  A 
spruce  standing  just  above  the  rapids  measured  five  feet  in  cir- 
cumference and  was  of  fair  height,  but  it  was  noticeably  larger 
than  any  other  that  1  saw  on  the  trip.  The  timber  was  much 
smaller  than  near  the  big  lake,  and  the  summits  of  the  hills 
nearly  barren.  We  followed  the  lake  a  distance  of  three  miles 
eastward,  then  six  miles  northward,  where  from  the  summit  of 
a  high  hill,  which  we  ascended,  we  could  trace  its  course  for 
several  miles  toward  the  hills  of  the  Barren  Ground,  which  the 
Indians  afterward  assured  us  that  we  would  have  reached  by 
crossing  two  more  lakes.  They  never  follow  that  route  them- 
selves in  going  to  the  Barren  Ground.  The  site  of  Fort  Enter- 
prise must  have  been  within  our  horizon. 

The  caribou  were  beyond  our  reach.  The  net  yielded  no 
fish  and  our  supply  of  dried  meat  was  nearly  gone.  I  had 
become  convinced  that  any  attempt  to  collect  birds  in  that 
region  would  prove  unprofitable,  and  as  geographical  explora- 
tion was  not  one  of  the  "  scientific  objects  "  enumerated  in  my 
instructions,  I  decided  to  go  no  further  in  that  direction.  I 
cut  a  lop-stick^  on  the  shore  of  the  last  lake  to  commemorate 

*  A  lop-stick  is  made  by  trimming  the  upper  branches  from  an  isolated 
spruce,  leaving  a  tuft  at  the  top.  These  are  the  guide  boards  of  the  country. 
Such  a  tree  usually  marks  the  halfway  points  between  trading  stations,  the 
beginning  of  side  trails,  or  wayside  fisheries. 


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FORT   RAE 


77 


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the  visit  of  an  lowan  to  that  desolate  lake,  never  before  visited, 
I  believe,  by  a  white  man.  Franklin  had  followed  the  Indian 
route  more  to  the  northward. 

We  camped  for  the  night  at  the  head  of  the  Nine  Lakes, 
where  the  net,  set  below  the  falls,  yielded,  next  morning  seven 
yellow  suckers,  three  whitefish,  three  jackfish,  and  a  lake  trout. 
A  head  wind  prevented  traveling  that  day.  I  occupied  the 
time  in  taking  photographs  of  th',  surrounding  country  and  in 
collecting  land  birds,  as  I  had  done  on  several  windy  days  dur- 
ing the  trip.  Another  day's  paddling  brought  us  to  Prospect 
Lake,  where  we  found  the  Indians  scattered  along  the  whole 
length  of  the  west  shore.  Only  a  few  could  use  the  portage 
path  above  their  old  camp  at  one  time,  so  that  they  had  been  all 
day  in  getting  under  way.  There  were  sixty  canoes  in  all; 
some  of  them  were  new,  some  were  old  but  patched  with  bright 
new  pieces  of  bark,  some  were  without  the  bark  deck  and 
seemed  so  old  and  fragile  that  one  involuntarily  looked  to  see 
how  far  the  occupant  would  have  to  swim  to  reach  the  shore. 

The  men  had  lighter  loads  than  the  women.  They  paddled 
about  in  the  bays  after  waterfowl.  Shotguns  were  used,  though 
wounded  birds  were  often  killed  with  steel-pointed  arrows. 
Nearly  every  canoe  contained  two  or  three  dogs,  which  were 
poor  and  thin,  and  naturally  of  inferior  size,  so  that  they  added 
little  to  the  load.  The  canoes  contained  a  heterogeneous  col- 
lection of  muskemoots  (bags  of  woven  babiche),  blankets,  nets, 
lodges  and  other  personal  property.  An  occasional  clean 
blanket  or  a  powder  keg  indicated  that  a  recent  visit  had  been 
made  by  the  owner  to  Resolution.  They  had  been  given  a 
large  amount  of  "debt "  and  had  an  abundance  of  tea,  tobacco, 
and  ammunition;  yet  every  man  that  was  not  ashore  came  along- 
side to  beg  for  these  articles  and  many  others. 

We  camped  on  the  portage  near  the  deserted  camp,  the  lodge 
poles  of  which  remained  standing.  All  property  not  required 
upon  the  hunt  had  been  cached  on  tripods  of  long  poles,  the 
lower  half  of  which  had  been  peeled  to  prevent  the  carcajous 
from  climbing  them.  An  abandoned  Indian  camp  is  not  an 
attractive  spot  with  its  smoke-oegrimmed  skeletons  of  former 
lodges,  its  rags,  heaps  of  hair,  ashes,  bones  and  trampled  pine- 
tops. 

That  day  we  had  nothing  but  boiled  suckers  to  eat,  but  the 


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EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


next  morning  we  found  several  excellent  whitefish  and  large 
inconnues  in  the  net.  We  reached  the  Yellow  Knife  Bay  at  an 
early  hour  and  found  a  heavy  sea  running,  against  which  we 
slowly  fought  our  way,  being  twice  driven  ashore  to  empty  the 
canoes  of  the  water  that  broke  over  the  bows. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  a  beam  wind  blew  steadily  offshore 
and  compelled  us  to  paddle  continuously  on  one  side  to  pre- 
vent the  canoe  from  veering  head  to  the  wind.  On  the  eight- 
eenth, and  last,  day  of  the  trip  a  fair  wind  enabled  us  to  sail. 
We  lashed  two  poles  across  the  canoes,  which  were  thus 
securely  held  about  fifteen  inches  apart.  Two  light  masts,  one 
in  each  boat  meeting  at  the  top,  supported  the  blanket-sail. 
As  the  breeze  freshened,  the  water  piled  up  between  the  canoes 
and  poured  in  upon  us.  The  primitive  sail  was  reefed  until  it 
was  little  more  than  a  roll,  yet  we  continued  to  make  rapid 
progress.  The  islands  protected  us  from  the  waves  of  the  open 
lake;  still  we  were  running  too  great  a  risk.  I  would  not  have 
continued  had  I  not  feared  that  the"WrigIey,"  which  was  then 
due,  would  leave  before  our  arrival.  We  were  so  wet  with 
spray  that  we  did  not  seek  shelter  from  the  rain  which  fell 
during  the  evening.  We  reached  the  post  at  9  p.  m.,  and  I  flat- 
tered myself  at  the  time  that  I  presented  a  much  better 
appearance,  as  I  glided  easily  up  to  the  landing,  than  I  had  on 
starting  out.  As  I  look  back  upon  it  now,  I  fear  that  I  did  not 
present  a  very  dignified  appearance  with  a  three  weeks'  beard, 
clothing  wet  and  soiled,  and  limbs  cramped  from  sitting  in  the 
canoe  all  the  afternoon,  with  two  or  three  inches  of  water  in 
the  bottom. 

We  had  traveled  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  had 
secured  a  number  of  valuable  birdskins,  though  the  conditions 
were  not  favorable  for  such  collecting.  He  who  travels  in  a 
large  boat,  with  men  to  manage  it,  need  have  no  difficulty  in 
making  up  half  a  dozen  skins  while  the  camp  is  being  made. 
But  when  a  man  paddles  his  own  loaded  canoe  all  day,  it  will 
require  all  his  pluck  to  induce  him  to  attend  to  his  duties  as  a 
taxidermist  in  the  evening. 

During  my  absence  Mr.  Joseph  Hodgson  had  been  placed  in 
charge  of  the  post.  This  gentleman,  a  native  Manitoban,  edu- 
cated at  St,  John's  College,  had  spent  the  last  twenty  years  in 
the  North.     For  several  years  he  had  had  charge  of  McPher- 


FORT   RAE 


79 


son,  for  which  place  he  was  soon  "  thinking  long,"  looking  on 
his  assignment  to  Rae  as  an  undeserved  punishment. 

Another  agreeable  change  was  that  the  whitefish  were  im- 
proving in  quality  and  becoming  abundant.  About  fifteen 
were  taken  each  night  in  a  thirty-fathom  net. 

August  6th,  the  next  morning  after  we  had  reached  the  post, 
the  "  Wrigley  "  arrived  with  the  season's  outfit  and  the  mails. 

Canoe  Trip  across  the  Great  Slave  Lake.  On  the  evening  of 
August  27th  I  learned  that  a  party  of  French  metis  would 
start  the  next  day  for  Resolution,  or  "Slave  Lake,"  as  it  is 
called  by  the  Company's  people.  Alexis  Laferte  had  secured 
a  lake  canoe  and,  assisted  by  his  brother  Vitall  and  an  Indian 
named  6mile,  intended  to  move  his  family  across  the  lake, 
where  he  was  to  enter  the  service  of  the  free  traders.  I  still 
hoped  that  I  could  "  make  the  fall  hunt "  for  musk-ox,  if  not 
with  the  Dog  Ribs,  then  with  the  Yellow  Knives  who  trade  at 
Resolution.  It  was  desirable  that  I  should  have  a  more  satis- 
factory interpreter  than  Andrew.  Finally,  I  wished  to  make 
arrangements  to  hunt  buffalo  from  Resolution  in  midwinter. 
"  Lixie  "  was  willing  to  carry  a  passenger,  if  I  "  paddled  my 
own  weight."  He  declared  that  there  would  be  "small  little 
room  "  for  baggage,  and  urged  me  to  take  only  my  blanket  and 
a  little  provision.  I  took  sufficient  dried  meat  for  five  days, 
as  that  was  the  time  usually  required,  under  favorable  condi- 
tions, to  make  the  trip.  The  season  of  autumnal  storms  was 
at  hand,  but  we  relied  upon  the  net  and  trout  hooks  to  furnish 
us  with  fish  in  case  we  should  be  delayed.  After  starting,  I 
found  that  the  canoe  would  easily  have  carried  a  half  ton  more- 

On  the  28th  the  several  members  of  the  party  occupied  so 
much  time  in  bidding  their  friends  farewell,  and  alternately 
smoking  a  last  "pipe"  and  drinking  a  last  cup  of  tea,  that  it 
was  nearly  sunset  before  they  were  ready,  when  they  concluded 
that  it  was  too  late  to  start,  and  the  fair  wind,  which  had  been 
blowing  steadily  all  day,  was  not  utilized.  The  next  day  these 
ceremonies  had  to  be  repeated,  so  that  it  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon before  we  set  off,  paddling  against  a  strong  head  wind. 
We  traveled  until  a  late  hour  to  reach  an  alleged  fishing  place, 
though  the  net  yielded  only  one  small  sucker  in  the  morning. 
Shortly  after  midnight  a  heavy  rain  set  in  and  continued  until 
sunrise.     My  only  shelter  was  the  overturned  canoe.    The  next 


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Jfe  EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 

morning  a  strong  breeze  blew  from  the  northwest.  As  we  were 
short-handed,  no  one  thought  of  paddling  when  it  was  possible 
to  sail,  so  we  ran  gaily  before  the  wind,  keeping  clear  of  the 
rocks  by  good  luck  rather  than  by  skillful  management.  In 
an  hour  we  reached  an  island  upon  which  was  encamped  an 
old  Indian  named  Tenony,  formerly  the  engaged  hunter  for 
Rae,  now  generally  called  "The  Fort  Hunter."  He  had  killed 
a  moose  and  a  black  bear  on  the  mainland  near  by  and,  with 
a  half  dozen  of  his  family,  was  then  engaged  in  drying  the 
small  portion  of  the  meat  remaining  after  they  had  feasted  for 
two  or  three  days.  Moose  are  rarely  ki  -^d  near  Rae,  and  their 
meat  is  prized  accordingly.  As  that  was  the  height  of  the 
berry  season,  the  bear  was  very  fat.  The  sight  of  bear's  grease 
and  moose  ribs  was  sufficient  to  confirm  my  compagnons  de 
voyage  in  the  belief  that  the  wind  was  blowing  too  strongly  for 
us  to  continue. 

The  rocks  offered  no  shelter  from  the  cold  and  piercing  wind 
which  drove  clouds  of  mist,  and  occasionally  rain,  down  upon 
us.  Every  available  kettle  was  soon  boiling;  the  newcomers 
provided  the  always  acceptable  tea,  and  Tenony  hospitably  in- 
vited us  to  help  ourselves  to  the  meat,  which  hung  upon  a 
temporary  drying  stage  of  crooked  birch  poles.  The  meat  was 
eaten  boiled,  roasted,  burned,  and  even  raw.  We  had  had  our 
breakfast  but  a  short  time  before,  but  that  did  not  deter  the 
metis  from  gorging  themselves,  a  performance  repeated  at 
short  intervals  throughout  the  day.  I  had  not  yet  abandoned 
the  custom  of  eating  but  three  meals  a  day,  and  cared  nothing 
for  the  tea-drinking  and  the  smoking  with  which  they  occupied 
themselves  between  meals.  I  had  nothing  to  read,  I  was  on  a 
rocky  islet  where  I  could  not  collect  specimens  of  any  kind„ 
and  I  could  not  talk  Dog  Rib — so  that  I  was  very  glad  when 
we  again  hoisted  sail  and  parted  from  the  most  hospitable  and 
most  persistent  beggar  of  the  eight  hundred  comprising  the 
Dog  Rib  nation. 

I  was  simply  a  passenger,  with  no  authority  whatever  over 
my  companions'  movements;  I  furnished  tea  for  the  party  and 
wielded  a  paddle.  Aside  from  the  discomfort  and  hardship 
of  such  an  arrangement,  it  gave  the  Indians  the  idea  that  I  was 
a  servant  and  not  a  "  master,"  as  they  term  the  officers  of  the 
Company  and  explorers  traveling  through  the  country.     As  a 


FORT   RAE 


8l 


result,  it  was  hard  to  convince  them  that  I  really  could  pay 
when  their  assistance  was  required. 

On  the  third  day  we  were  again  favored  with  a  fair  wind 
which  carried  us  nearly  to  Yellow  Knife  Bay.  The  wind  died 
out  in  the  afternoon  and  the  metis  amused  themselves  in  firing 
at  passing  crows,  shouting  ''' vent  derriere ! "  if  the  bird  fell;  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  two  crows  were  killed,  the  breeze 
failed  to  freshen,  and  we  paddled  until  an  hour  after  darkness 
set  in  before  reaching  the  bay  where  we  expected  to  catch  an 
abundance  of  both  trout  and  whitefish.  The  canoe  had  to  be 
hauled  out  each  night  as  a  change  in  the  direction  of  the  wind 
might  cause  its  destruction  upon  the  rocks.  It  required  the 
united  efforts  of  the  whole  party  to  beach  it,  as  the  pine  lining 
was  water  soaked  and  heavy. 

On  the  fourth  day  the  wind  blew  with  such  violence  that  it 
was  impossible  to  cross  the  ten-mile  traverse  before  us.  Not 
without  danger  of  being  swamped  we  set  the  net  and  several 
cod  hooks  for  trout.  Ordinarily  lake  trout  may  be  caught 
along  that  shore  weighing  from  ten  to  fifty  pounds  each,  but 
not  one  could  we  catch  during  the  trip. 

High  overhead  the  cry  of  the  little  wavey  was  frequently 
heard,  as  the  V-shaped  columns  sailed  swiftly  southward, 
quartering  upon  a  northwest  wind.  Several  loons,  attracted 
by  the  sight  of  the  light  colored  canoe,  or  lured  by  a  shining 
tin  pan,  approached  within  gunshot,  but  none  were  secured. 
The  supply  of  ammunition  was  now  running  low;  the  last  bul- 
lets were  cut  into  cubes  and  rolled  into  rough  shot  in  a  frying^ 
pan.  Thus  fi;r  every  gull,  crow,  or  raven  that  came  within 
range  had  been  fired  at,  and  the  same  laugh  followed  the  shot 
whether  the  bird  fell  or  escaped.  The  Indians'  guns  were  of 
the  pattern  known  in  the  country  as  "trade  guns."  They  were 
of  small  bore,  long,  single-  or  double-barreled,  muzzle-loaders 
of  light  weight.  Twelve  to  fifteen  pellets  of  BB  shot  were 
used  to  each  load.  These  guns  will  carry  ball  with  tolerable 
accuracy  up  to  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  The  balls 
weigh  twenty-five  or  twenty-eight  to  the  pound. 

At  night  ifcmile,  who  sp'^ke  French  fluently,  and  Vitall  would 
rise  at  unseasonable  hours  and  gabble  about  fish  and  dogs,  the 
principal  topics  of  conversation  with  these  people,  with  cease- 
less repetition  of  "  Wah  wah,"  "Mon  Dieu,"  etc.,  until  sleep 
became  impossible. 

6 


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82 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


iV-'J  V 


Emile  sometimes  worked  for  the  French  missionaries,  but 
usually  depended  on  his  nets  and  traps  for  a  living.  He  under- 
stood no  English,  though  he  picked  up  a  few  words  during  the 
trip,  which  he  would  repeat  upon  hearing  one  of  them  used  by 
the  others,  or  when  he  was  pleased  at  the  result  of  a  lucky 
shot.  When  there  was  an  abundance  of  tobacco  and  provision 
he  was  good  natured  and  ready  to  laugh  at  the  most  trivial 
circumstance;  when  we  began  to  starve  his  face  lengthened,  the 
thickened  nether  lip  drooped,  and  his  complaints  became  loud 
and  frequent  that  someone  in  the  party  was  to  blame  for  the 
wind  and  lake  being  vexed.  When  we  returned  a  month  later 
and  found  that  an  old  crone  had  died  about  this  time,  at  Rae, 
he  of  course  saw  that  she  had  caused  the  adverse  winds!  After 
witnessing  some  of  his  gastronomic  performances  I  could  give 
some  credence  to  the  statement  that  he  had  once  eaten  a  cari- 
bou in  two  days;  at  one  time  he  had  been  a  member  of  a  York 
boat's  crew  of  seven  that  was  given  a  fifty-pound  sack  of  flour 
for  use  while  descending  the  Mackenzie — a  journey  of  several 
weeks.  They  received  the  flour  in  the  evening  and  ate  it  all 
during  the  night! 

On  the  fifth  day  we  moved  lo  a  larger  island  near  by,  where 
we  found  enough  driftwood,  that  had  been  driven  across  the 
lake  from  the  Slave  River,  to  maintain  a  good  camp  fire.  We 
crossed  the  traverse  on  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day,  and 
camped  among  the  islands  which  for  the  next  thirty  miles  are 
much  larger  than  those  of  the  Northern  Arm.  We  would  have 
been  without  provisions  had  we  not  reduced  the  daily  ration  to 
one-third  the  usual  amount.  We  were  four  days  in  traveling 
the  thirty  miles  of  coast  between  Yellow  Knife  Bay  and  the 
Gros  Cape.  This  point  projects  from  the  north  shore  toward 
the  line  of  islands  which  separates  the  open  western  body  of 
the  lake  from  the  long,  island-dotted  eastern  portion.  Our 
route  followed  the  islands  across  to  the  south  shore,  a  distance 
of  perhaps  fifty  miles  from  the  Gros  Cape. 

Taking  advantage  of  a  calm  on  the  tenth  day  we  crossed  the 
first  traverse,  and  stopped  to  boil  the  kettle  on  a  small  island, 
fimile  started  to  gather  driftwood,  but  came  back  at  once 
shouting,  "  Les  graines  jaunes."  We  all  scrambled  up  the 
rocks  to  a  stretch  of  moss,  covering  the  northern  half  of  the 
island,  where  a  fine  patch  of  yellow  berries,  sheltered  from  the 


!i'JM''lt 


FORT   RAE 


83 


sun  by  the  slope  of  the  hill,  still  remained  upon  the  sten;, 
though  it  was  past  the  season  for  them.  The  berries  were  like 
large  blackberries  in  shape,  but  yellow  in  color  and  slightly 
oily  in  taste.  ^  This  island,  two  hundred  yards  in  diameter,  had 
a  little  soil  among  the  rocks,  which  supported  prolific  red  rasp- 
berries, red  and  black  currants,  saskatoons,  and  gooseberries, 
while  the  suriace  of  the  mo-s  was  covered  with  yellow  berries, 
creeping  blueberries,  cranberries,  and  crowberries.  Our  party, 
which  (including  Alexis'  wife  and  three  children)  numbered 
eight  mouths,  swept  across  the  island  like  a  swarm  of  locusts. 
We  crossed  the  next  traverse  that  afternoon.  It  was  about 
fourteen  miles  to  the  islands  in  advance,  which  appeared  on  the 
horizon  as  those  behind  us  sank  out  of  sight.  The  shifting 
wind  might  raise  a  dangerous  sea  in  a  few  minutes;  realizing 
this  we  paddled  with  all  our  strength,  not  missing  a  stroke  for 
the  three  hours  occupied  in  crossing. 

The  next  day  we  continued  a  few  miles  among  the  islands 
of  Simpson's  Group  until  we  were  again  stopped  by  a  norther, 
that  dashed  the  waves  high  over  the  cliffs,  and  made  it  impos- 
sible to  set  the  net,  even  in  the  lee  of  the  little  rocky  island 
where  we  camped.  The  scrubby  timber  had  been  recently 
burned,  making  it  a  charred  and  dismal  place.  The  gale  con- 
tinued for  four  days  with  frequent  showers  of  rain  and  sleet. 
We  had  nothing  to  eat  and  spent  the  time  in  drinking  tea  and 
lying  in  a  sort  of  torpor.  I  was  not  hungry  but  became  very 
weak,  though  I  was  able  to  paddle  steadily  from  4  a.  m.  on  the 
fifteenth  day  until  ii  o'clock  when  we  crossed  the  Grand 
Traverse,  the  most  dreaded  of  all,  and  reached  the  shores  of 
the  Slave  Delta  at  I'lsle  de  Pierre.  We  found  a  few  gooseber- 
ries there  which  were  fully  ripened  and  as  large  as  cherries. 
The  vegetation  was  much  more  varied  and  luxuriant  than  upon 
the  north  shore  of  the  lake.  Waterfowl  and  muskrats  were 
quite  common  in  the  delta,  though  without  ammunition  we 
could  not  secure  any  of  them.  After  our  feast  of  berries,  hav- 
ing disposed  of  one  whitefish,  the  total  catch  of  our  last  station, 
we  started  for  Resolution,  now  only  twenty-five  miles  distant. 

^  Mackenzie  mentions  the  occurrence  of  "another  berry,  of  a  very  pale 
yellow  colour,  that  resembles  a  raspberry,  anJ  is  of  a  very  agreeable 
flavour"  (  Voyages,  p. 69),  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  River.  This  is 
probably  the  same  species  and  would  place  its  northern  limit  of  distribu- 
tion  at  the  Arctic  coast.     It  is  called  "  tsuakah  "  by  the  Slaveys. 


84 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


As  we  were  slowly  making  our  way  up  one  of  the  channels  of 
the  Big  River  that  evening,  we  met  a  free  trader  and  his  inter- 
preter who  were  hunting  ducks.  Mr.  Nagle  was  expecting 
Alexis  and  at  once  asked  me  if  I  was  M.  Laferte!  Little  won- 
der that  I  was  mistaken  for  a  half-breed  at  the  end  of  that 
trip!  The  hunters  had  a  dozen  cakes  and  three  or  four  ducks 
in  their  canoe.  Three  muskrats  were  soon  killed  and  boiled 
with  the  ducks.  How  delicious  were  those  muskrats — my  com- 
panions attempted  to  express  their  appreciation  by  calling 
them  "castors;"  the  luxury  of  eating  bread  once  more!  We 
camped  there  for  the  night,  as  it  was  still  several  miles  to  the 
post.  The  next  morning  our  blankets  were  white  with  the 
first  heavy  frost  of  the  season.  Our  breakfast — comforting 
thought,  the  certainty  of  having  a  breakfast  —  consisted  of 
ducks  and  rats.  I  did  not  stop  to  see  whether  my  portion  was 
of  the  former  or  the  latter.  A  steady  rain  set  in  as  we  were 
pushing  off,  which  continued  until  we  reached  the  post  at  3  p.  m. 

I  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the  clerk  in  charge  for  a  day 
and  a  half  before  starting  upon  my  return  to  Rae,  and  I  must 
confess  that  I  lived  to  eat  during  that  time.  I  found  that  the 
Indians  would  not  arrive  for  several  weeks,  and  that  I  could 
not  hire  an  assistant  for  the  musk-ox  hunt  at  Resolution.  I 
succeeded,  however,  in  engaging  an  Indian  to  guide  me  to  the 
buffalo  country  during  the  coming  winter. 

The  free  traders  had  been  awaiting  Alexis'  arrival  before 
sending  a  scow  loaded  with  goods  across  the  lake;  this  enabled 
me  to  return  at  once  to  Rae.  We  left  the  post  on  September 
15th,  and  reached  I'lsle  de  Pierre  early  on  the  third  day.  Here 
two  men,  who  had  helped  us  row  through  the  delta,  turned 
back,  leaving  us  to  depend  almost  entirely  upon  our  sail.  We 
started  upon  the  fifteen-mile  traverse  with  a  favorable  wind 
which  suddenly  shifted  to  the  north  and  compelled  us  to  run 
back  toward  the  island.  The  lake  became  very  rough  and  the 
waves  soon  broke  over  the  quarter  which  we  covered  with  tar- 
paulins. Had  it  been  another  mile  to  the  island  we  would 
never  have  reached  it.  We  remained  there  the  next  day,  dry- 
ing the  goods  and  waiting  for  a  fair  wind.  On  the  fifth  day  we 
crossed  to  the  Gros  Cape,  where  we  again  sought  shelter  from 
the  north  wind  which  howled  across  the  lake  for  the  next  four 
days.     On  the  26th  of   September  ve  sailed  into  a  channel 


( 


FORT   RAE 


85 


covered  with  new  ice  an  inch  in  thickness,  which  cut  quite 
through  the  planks  of  the  bow  before  the  boat  could  be  stop- 
ped. We  several  times  ran  upon  sunken  rocks  among  Les  Isles 
Fortes,  fortunately  without  breaking  the  scow.  We  reached 
Rae  on  the  29th,  having  been  fourteen  days  on  the  return  trip. 

On  the  ^Qth  Mr.  Hodgson  and  I  crossed  the  arm  to  the 
"Mountain,"  about  seven  miles  south  of  the  post,  to  hunt  ducks 
in  the  numerous  ponds  in  that  vicinity.  My  companion  had 
bagged  almost  a  hundred  there  in  a  few  hours  the  preceding 
week,  but  nearly  all  were  gone  when  we  arrived.  The  lake  had 
frozen  over  on  the  25th.  It  had  broken  up  again  the  next  day, 
but  it  was  not  safe  to  remain  on  the  west  shore  when  the  tem- 
perature began  to  fall,  as  it  did  on  the  third  day,  so  we  made 
haste  to  embark  upon  our  return.  Three  miles  from  the  post 
a  dense  fog  enveloped  us;  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind  to 
assist  us  in  keeping  our  course;  I  undertook  to  steer  my  Dog 
Rib  canoe  by  a  pocket  compass  and,  with  the  sluggish  needle 
and  the  exceedingly  sensitive  canoe,  it  was  a  difficult  piece  of 
navigation.  After  two  hours  of  wandering  we  reached  the 
shore,  and  my  canoeing  was  ended  for  the  season. 

October  at  Rae.  When  the  lake  had  frozen  over  a  large  num- 
ber of  nets  had  been  lost  as  the  ice  broke  up  and  drifted  south- 
ward. This  interrupted  the  fishing,  which  was  not  resumed 
until  the  19th  of  October,  when  the  ice  set  fast  for  the  winter. 
Over  twenty  thousand  fish  were  hung  during  the  "fall  fishery" 
by  the  Company  and  the  Roman  Catholic  mission;  principally 
whitefish  and  inconnues.  The  whitefish  obtained  at  Rae  are 
small  or  medium-sized.  The  best  fisheries  on  the  Great  Slave 
Lake  are  at  Resolution,  Big  Island  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake, 
and  recently  at  Hay  River,  where  a  storm,  accompanied  by  a 
"big  wave,"  in  1890,  brought  a  large  species  of  whitefish  to  the 
fishing  grounds  off  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  it  has  since 
remained.  Previous  to  that  time  the  whitefish  taken  at  that 
fishery  had  been  similar  to  those  at  Rae,  not  exceeding  two  or 
three  pounds  in  weight.  The  lake  trout,  Salvelimis  namycush 
Walb.,  is  caught  in  considerable  numbers  at  Resolution  during 
the  winter,  but  is  seldom  seen  at  Rae,  though  common  at  Trout 
Rock,  twenty-five  miles  southeast  of  that  post.  Inconnues, 
Stenodus  mackenzii^  weighing  ten  to  fifteen  pounds,  are  caught 
in  considerable  numbers  but  are  of  poor  quality.     They  dete- 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


riorate  as  they  advance  southward  from  the  Arctic  Sea.  Jack- 
fish,  Esox  lucius  Linn.,  and  suckers,  Catostomus  longirostris,  are 
somewhat  common.  The  loche,  Sata  maculosa^  is  also  caught, 
but  only  the  roe  and  liver  are  eaten.  This  species  (if  it  be  the 
same)  sometimes  attains  very  large  size;  Count  de  Sainville, 
whom  I  afterward  met  at  McPherson,  assured  me  that  he  had 
measured  a  loche,  which  he  had  caught  in  the  arctic  Red  River, 
that  was  four  and  one-half  feet  long.  A  stray  herring  was 
taken  in  one  of  thewhitefish  nets,  the  meshes  of  which  are  usu- 
ally too  large  for  this  species,  seldom  found  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Liard  River.     (I  did  not  see  the  specimen  myself.) 

The  isolated  hills  about  Rae  are  covered  with  willows  and 
low  bushes;  these  attracted  large  numbers  of  ptarmigan,  Lago- 
pus  lagopus  Linn.,  which  made  their  appearance  on  the  first  of 
October.  They  were  just  assuming  their  winter  garb,  and  as  the 
permanent  snow  did  not  come  until  the  23rd,  their  white  plum- 
age rendered  them  very  conspicuous  amid  tlie  grays  and 
browns  of  their  environment.  A  score  of  hawks,  Accipiter  atri- 
capillus  (Wils.),  soon  gathered  about  the  post  to  prey  upon 
the  ptarmigan.  The  latter  when  pursued  flew  high  and  straight 
away,  seemingly  holding  their  own  in  the  race.  If  swooped 
down  upon  when  on  the  ground,  they  merely  crouched  as  if 
relying  on  their  usual  safeguard — protective  coloration.  More 
than  once  the  hawk  was  bagged  as  he  rose  with  his  victim — 
dead — in  his  talons.  Until  driven  away  by  the  dogs  and  the 
metis  boys,  the  ptarmigan  came  about  the  buildings  without 
fear.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  me  to  shoot  them  off 
the  roof  of  my  cabin  for  breakfast.     Pot  hunting,  indeed! 

The  winter  birds  were  noticeably  fewer  in  number  of  individu- 
als, and  also  of  species  than  at  the  station  occupied  the  previ- 
ous winter  on  the  Saskatchewan. 

Periodical  Events  Recorded  in  the  Journals  at  Rae. 

Ice  broke  up,  June  ist,  1857. 
June  7th,  1858. 
May  30th,  1859. 
June  3rd,  1883. 
June  23rd,  i88<|. 
June  i8th,  1885. 
Lake  froze,  October  19th,  1857. 
October  6th,  1864. 
October  28th,  x88o. 


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The  ice  clears  close  to  the  post  nearly  a  month  before 
it  disappears  beyond  the  Grosse  Isle,  ten  miles  to  the  south- 
ward. It  does  not  disappear  au  large — beyond  Big  Point,  until 
late,  sometimes  the  middle  of  July.  In  1859  this  entry  occurs 
for  June  20th:  "Ice-bound  among  the  islands  thirty  miles 
southeast  of  the  fort,  and  the  mosquitoes  in  myriads."  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  ice  broke  up  at  the  post,  where  the  arm 
is  much  narrower,  on  the  30th  of  May. 

August  I2th,  1884,  the  journal  reads:  "Snowstorm  all  day." 
A  record  of  the  temperature  was  kept,  with  some  interruptions, 
from  November,  1883,  until  May,  1885.  No  other  meteoro- 
logical data  have  been  recorded  in  the  Rae  journals. 

During  the  winter  of  1882-3  Captain  H.  P.  Dawson,  with 
three  assistants,  made  observations  on  meteorological  and 
magnetic  phenomena  at  i.ae.  This  point  was  chosen  because 
it  is  the  nearest  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  posts  to  the 
magnetic  pole. 


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CHAPTER  VI 

WINTER  TRAVEL 

THE  Caribou  Hunt.  Vague  rumors  had  reach  Fort  Rae  con- 
cerning the  whereabouts  of  the  "deer"  during  the  last 
week  of  October,  but  it  was  not  until  the  first  of  November 
that  a  party  left  the  post  to  hunt  them. 

A  few  years  ago  the  Barren  Gound  caribou  appeared  about 
the  fort  regularly  upon  All  Saints  day.  They  were  often  killed 
from  the  buildings,  and  throughout  the  winter  might  be  found 
near  the  post.  In  1877  an  unbroken  line  of  caribou  crossed 
the  frozen  lake  near  the  fort;  they  were  fourteen  days  in  pass- 
ing, and  in  such  a  mass  that,  in  the  words  of  an  eyewitness, 
"daylight  could  not  be  seen"  through  the  column.  They  are 
now  seldom  seen  within  several  miles  of  Rae. 

The  "Fort  Hunter,"  Tenony,  with  seven  of  his  followers, 
was  just  starting  upon  a  seventy-five  mile  journey  toward  the 
north  on  the  evening  of  the  first,  when  I  learned  of  his  inten- 
tions, and  after  I  had  agreed  to  furnish  a  few  skins  of  flour, 
tea,  and  tobacco,  and  to  pay  a  skin  a  day  for  a  dog  driver,  it 
was  settled  that  I  might  accompany  them  into  the  hunting 
grounds  where  the  chief,  Naohmby,  had  objected  to  my  going 
three  months  before,  on  the  ground  that  all  the  game  would 
desert  the  country  if  pursued  by  a  naturalist. 

I  loaded  my  sled  with  thirty  whitefish,  three  days'  provision 
for  the  dogs,  and  fifteen  pounds  of  dried  meat  for  the  boy; 
during  the  trip  I  shared  alternately  with  each,  the  rank,  hung 
fish  driving  me  to  dried  meat,  and  the  leathery  slabs  compelling 
me  to  return  to  the  fish. 

As  the  "brigade"  only  intended  getting  clear  of  the  fort  that 
evening,  I  preferred  to  remain  and  make  an  early  start  the  next 
day.  We  left  the  fort  at  daylight  on  the  second,  Yahty  running 
before  the  dogs.     Our  course  was  northward  for  twelve  miles, 

88 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


89 


to  the  end  of  the  Northern  Arm  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake, 
whence  a  channel,  a  hundred  yards  in  width,  called  Willow 
River,  continues  for  half  a  mile  before  expanding  into  a  small 
lake  extending  toward  the  northeast  and  connecting  by  a  num- 
ber of  "schnys"  with  Lac  Brochet.  Following  the  eastern 
shore  of  the  small  lake,  we  crossed  a  short  portage  and,  trav- 
ersing a  narrow  channel  for  a  couple  of  miles,  reached  Sa-ka- 
to"  Tu',  the  Lake  of  the  Bear's  Shoulder.  This  body  of  water 
must  exceed  twenty-five  miles  in  length. 

We  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  Tenony,  but  encamped 
near  the  end  of  the  lake  with  an  Indian,  who,  with  his  ten  year 
old  son  and  three  miserable  giddes,  was  also  in  quest  of  the 
caribou.  He  carried  a  powder  horn  differing  from  any  that  I 
saw  in  the  North.  It  was  made  by  boring  or  burning  out  a 
section  of  the  beam  of  a  caribou's  antler.  He  would  smilingly 
beg  for  tea  and  tobacco,  not  becoming  in  the  least  disheartened 
by  repeated  refusals.  I  was  glad  to  escape  his  importunities 
by  leaving  camp  at  4  a.  m.  The  brisk  trot  of  our  well-fed  team 
soon  carried  us  out  of  reach  of  the  yells  of  the  giddes  as  the 
lash  was  unsparingly  applied  in  his  efforts  to  keep  up  with  the 
"Mollah"  who  had  such  quantities  of  "lee  tea"  and  "tobah." 
Passing  a  couple  of  miles  of  short  portages  we  reached  another 
large  lake,  called  by  the  Dog  Ribs,  Kwem-ta  Tu',  the  Lake  of 
the  White  Rock,  where  we  found  Tenony  encamped. 

The  Indians  had  been  aroused  by  their  dogs  greeting  our 
approach  with  barks  and  howls,  and  were  huddled  behind  a 
roaring  fire  with  their  blankets,  once  white,  now  a  dirty  gray, 
thrown  over  their  shoulders,  their  hands  outstretched  toward 
the  welcome  blaze,  while  they  guarded  the  few  frozen  fish  which 
were  thawing  and  burning  at  their  feet.  Behind  them  a  con- 
fused mass  of  dog  harness,  wrappers,  and  flat  sleds  formed  a 
barrier  to  keep  out  a  score  or  more  of  giddes,  which  were 
crowding  about  the  camp  and  fighting  for  an  advantageous  posi- 
tion from  which  to  watch  for  the  few  bones  that  escaped  their 
master's  teeth.  After  drinking  tea,  we  followed  the  lake  shore 
toward  the  northwest,  where  a  range  of  granite  hills,  called 
Sah-me-t'  ie-kfwa,  (Petitot)  rose  high  above  the  general  level 
of  the  somewhat  rugged  country  about  them.  When  close  to 
the  hills,  we  discovered  a  small  band  of  caribou,  toward  which 
the  dogs  started  at  their  best  pace,  barking  and  straining  at 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN  THE   FAR    NORTH 


their  collars,  and  urged  to  greater  exertion  by  the  men,  who 
shouted,  "Ayee  ecwoh,  m'nitla!"  there  are  the  caribou,  now» 
go!  The  alarmed  caribou  were  dashing  about  in  all  directions, 
yet  managing  to  keep  out  of  range,  though  several  shots  were 
fired  before  they  entered  the  timber.  Around  us  rose  the  pre- 
cipitous snow-covered  mountains  through  a  gap  of  which  a 
large  stream  entered  the  lake,  its  cascades  giving  off  clouds  of 
vapor.  High  above  us  a  bald  eagle  wheeled  in  majestic  flight,, 
with  white  crown  and  crissum  flashing  in  the  light  of  the  rising 
sun.  Cutting  our  way  through  a  brOle  we  reached  another 
lake,  upon  which  there  was  an  abundance  of  fresh  tracks.  An. 
hour  later  I  left  the  others  and  started  down  the  lake  with  the 
boy  before  the  dogs.  Three  or  four  bands  of  caribou,  perhaps 
fifty  in  all,  soon  came  out  upon  the  ice.  Yahty  ran  toward  the 
nearest  of  them  followed  by  the  dogs  which  dashed  past  him 
at  full  cry  as  soon  as  they  discovered  the  caribou.  I  was- 
seated  upon  the  sled  while  Yahty,  holding  the  sled  line,  ran  in. 
the  cloud  of  snow  which  trailed  out  behind. 

The  caribou  stood  motionless  until  we  were  within  a  couple, 
of  hundred  yards  before  making  off;  they  soon  stopped,  side 
on,  to  survey  their  pursuers,  snuffing  the  air  for  a  moment;  then 
they  would  throw  back  their  heads  and  leap  high  in  the  air, 
and  again  dash  away  at  a  swift  run,  passing  patches  of  smooth, 
ice  without  a  misstep.  The  drifts  were  small,  but  the  snow 
was  well  hardened,  m  king  a  rough  surface  for  the  swift-flying 
sled.  Just  as  I  would  be  about  to  pull  the  trigger,  after  taking, 
hasty  aim,  a  sudden  lurch  would  nearly  dislodge  me  from  my 
seat  and  perhaps  send  the  muzzle  of  the  rifle  skywards.  I  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  killing  two  and  breaking  a  fore  leg  of  an- 
other which  ran  with  undiminished  speed,  in  fact,  led  the  band 
as  they  entered  the  timber  and  so  escaped. 

Placing  a  row  of  pine  boughs  at  intervals  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
yards  quite  across  an  arm  of  the  lake,  we  concealed  ourselves, 
on  shore,  and  waited  the  appearance  of  the  caribou.  Only  one. 
band  approached  our  barrier,  which  they  followed  some  dis- 
tance, but  did  not  venture  to  cross;  they  turned  away  before 
coming  within  range.  The  following  day  we  were  more  suc- 
cessful in  employing  this,  a  common  device  of  the  Dog  Ribs. 

That  evening  we  feasted  until  a  late  hour  upon  the  first  cari- 
bou meat  of  the  season.     Several  heads  were  skinned  and  hung 


WINTER  TRAVEL 


9* 


from  poles  before  the  fire  by  the  mitten  cords  of  the  owners 
and  willow  hooks.  As  soon  as  the  outside  was  roasted  the  jaw 
was  turned  back  and  the  tongue,  one  of  the  choicest  bits  of 
all,  slightly  cooked.  The  dogs  were  well  fed  for  the  first  time 
in  months;  we  gave  them  the  quarters  only,  and  cracked  the 
long  bones  for  the  marrow,  which,  raw  or  roasted,  is  one  of 
the  greatest  of  Dog  Rib  luxuries.  Look  down  in  pity  upon 
"the  savage  and  his  marrow  bones"  if  you  will,  but  you  might 
perhaps  relish  that  same  marrow  if  you  had  "hustled"  for 
those  bones  yourself  as  I  had  done,  or  you  might,  after  run- 
ning fifty  miles,  pass  your  plate  a  second  time  for  bouillon 
made  of  blood  carried  to  camp  in  a  caribou's  stomach.  Even 
the  tendons  were  eaten,  and  the  feet  also,  after  roasting  them 
until  the  hoof  could  be  knocked  off.  Although  I  lived  some 
time  with  the  Dog  Ribs,  and  spent  over  a  year  in  their  terri- 
tory, I  never  knew  of  their  eating  the  contents  of  the  caribou's 
stomach  as  do  the  Eskimos.  The  unborn  calf,  the  udder  of  a 
milk-giving  cow,  the  tongue,  the  marrow  and  back  fat  are  the 
parts  held  in  highest  esteem. 

Tenony  fulfilled  his  promise  of  returning  after  "five  sleeps," 
but  marched  fifty  miles  against  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  upon  the 
sixth  day  to  do  it. 

The  caribou  came  but  little  nearer  during  the  winter  of 
1893-94.  I  made  three  other  trips  in  search  of  them,  and  trav- 
eled five  hundred  miles  in  all,  driving  my  own  dogs  after  the 
first  hunt  with  Tenony.  Out  of  a  large  number  secured,  I 
selected  eight  choice  specimens,andduring  the  winter  obtained 
the  skin  of  an  albino.  Albinism  is  of  rare  occurrence  among 
them.  One  of  the  oldest  Dog  Ribs  assured  me  that  he  had 
never  seen  a  "white  deer." 

Sledsre  Trip  Around  tbe  Great  Slave  Lake.  The  winter  packet 
starts  from  Simpson,  the  central  post  of  the  Mackenzie  Dis- 
trict, on  the  first  of  December.  On  the  same  day  a  dog  train 
leaves  Rae  to  intercept  the  outgoing  mail  at  Providence. 
Having  secured  specimens  of  the  caribou,  I  was  ready  to  cross 
to  Resolution  and  engage  in  the  buffalo  hunt.  Without  an 
Indian  to  run  before  my  dogs  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to 
attempt  to  follow  the  route  traversed  in  the  autumn,  so  I  decided 
to  accompany  the  packet  train  around  the  west  end  of  the  lake, 
thereby  doubling  the  distance.     Of  late  years  the  winter  route 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


to  Providence  has  been  shortened  by  using  a  blazed  trail 
through  the  bush,  instead  of  following  the  north  shore  to  Big 
Island  and  then  descending  the  Mackenzie.  Including  its 
interminable  windings,  the  new  route  is  about  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  in  length. 

Henri  Laferte,  a  metis  servant,  drove  the  packet  team  and, 
Yahty,  a  strikingly  handsome  young  Indian,  whom  I  had  had 
with  me  on  my  first  caribou  hunt,  ran  before  the  dogs.  The 
trail  had  not  been  opened  for  the  season,  the  snow  was  there- 
fore soft  and  the  way  blocked  by  fallen  trees;  we  were  also 
delayed  by  waiting  for  daj'light  each  morning  before  starting, 
on  account  of  the  trail  being  so  faintly  marked  in  the  openings; 
we  often  searched  for  some  time  to  find  the  exit  from  the 
numerous  lakes  and  ponds.  The  snow  was  not  yet  deep 
enough  to  cover  the  fallen  timber  against  which  the  head  of  the 
sled  lodged  every  few  minutes.  The  sled  frequently  caught 
against  standing  trees  at  the  sharp  turns;  these  sudden  stop- 
pages injured  the  dogs'  shoulders,  and  the  poor  beasts  became 
dispirited  and  sulked  along  at  a  slow  pace.  At  each  halt  it  was 
necessary  for  me  to  wade  around  the  sled,  to  lift  the  head  of  it 
clear  of  the  obstruction.  My  small  snow-shoes  sank  deep  in 
the  snow  and  made  this  very  fatiguing  work.  I  helped  the 
team  by  pushing  the  sled  with  a  "  pushing-stick  "  attached  to  the 
middle  of  the  load. 

On  the  morning  of  December  7th  we  started  at  two  o'clock, 
expecting  to  reach  Providence  that  evening.  We  soon  lost  our 
way  in  the  darkness.  Yahty  and  I  curled  up  on  our  snow-shoes 
and  slept  as  comfortably  as  the  position  and  a  temperature  of 
thirty-eight  degrees  below  zero  would  permit,  while  Henri 
tramped  around  until  daybreak  looking  for  the  trail,  though  how 
he  could  distinguish  it,  even  in  broad  daylight,  was  a  mystery  to 
me.  Yahty  missed  his  way  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  were  at 
last  forced  to  camp,  though  only  seven  miles  from  the  post. 
We  were  in  the  middle  of  an  extensive  marsh,  locally  known  as 
the  "First  Prairie,"  where  there  was  very  little  brush  for  a  camp 
floor  and  only  a  few  sticks  for  fuel.  Henri  and  Yahty  seemed 
quite  contented  with  the  situation,  but  the  thoughts  of  the  com- 
parative comfort  and  the  companionship  of  people  of  my  own 
race  at  the  post  made  me  very  anxious  to  push  on,  but,  as  on 
several  other  occasions  during  my  journey,  the  custom  of  the 


c( 
h( 

ri 
la 


wi 


tii 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


93 

late 


country  had  to  be  observed;  we  must  not  "arrive"  at  a 
hour. 

We  reached  Providence  on  the  eighth  of  December.  The 
river  packet  had  arrived  from  Simpson,  and  a  day  and  a  half 
later  it  was  sent  on  in  charge  of  "'Old  John,"  the  pilot  of  the 
"Wrigley."  He  has  driven  the  packet  train  across  the  Great 
Slave  Lake,  the  most  dangerous  portion  of  that  two  thousand- 
mile  mail  route,  for  the  last  nineteen  years.  In  the  bush  strong 
winds  cause  some  hardship,  but  do  not  prevent  traveling  as  they 
do  upon  the  lakes  and  Barren  Ground.  "Old  John"  had  many 
times  starved  both  himself  and  dogs  while  a  gale  had  blown 
itself  out,  as  no  extra  provision  is  taken  for  delays. 

The  letters  were  carried  in  a  pine  box  lashed  on  the  ordinary 
flat  sled.  The  dogs  were  smartl}'  dressed  in  tapis,  and  the  boy 
who  ran  before  the  team  wore  a  pair  of  new  mooseskin  mittens 
which  were  covered  with  a  mass  of  beads;  they  had  a  many- 
colored  cord  attached  that  passed  around  the  wearer's  neck. 
His  leggins,  of  blue  strouding,  reached  above  the  knee  and  had 
a  broad  stripe  of  beadwork  along  the  outer  seam,  reaching 
from  the  ankle  to  the  gaj'-colored  garter;  a  pair  of  new  trousers 
a  fine-cloth  capote,  and  beaded  moccasins  completed  his  cos- 
tume. 

My  dogs  had  some  difficulty  in  keeping  pace  with  the  fresh 
packet  team.  I  was  greatly  in  need  of  a  few  days'  rest  myself, 
and  shall  always  remember  that  run  of  a  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles  as  one  of  the  most  trying  trips  that  I  ever  made. 

Le  grand  froid^  of  winter  had  come.  The  temperature  ranged 
from  fifty  to  sixty  degrees  below  zero,  Fahrenheit.  If  exposed 
to  the  wind  while  on  the  march,  as  we  were  on  the  broad 
river  and  on  the  lake,  it  was  difficult  to  keep  our  faces  from 
being  frozen.  At  night  the  intense  cold  seemed  unendurable. 
We  never  had  any  shelter  but  our  blankets;  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  have  kept  a  fire  burning  all  night,  as  the  coals 
thrown  off  would  have  burned  our  blankets,  and  the  quick- 
burning  spruce  would  have  required  frequent  renewal.  Toward 
morning  I  was  nearly  always  awakened  by  the  bitter  cold, 
which  sometimes  gave  me  the  impression  that  my  feet  were 
certainly  frozen.     I  sometimes  started  the  morning  fire  myself. 

*  Pronounced  "frbte"  by  the  mdtis  who  give  the  sound  of  k  to  the  diph- 
thong oi. 


ft. 


n '  t . 


M 


94 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


Although  there  was  little  comfort  in  a  bed,  where  I  was  liter- 
ally writhing  from  cold,  it  was  not  pleasant  to  open  my  blanket 
covered  with  frost  and  snow,  and  search  in  the  darkness  for  a 
strip  of  birch  bark  with  which  to  ignite  the  charred  sticks  at 
our  feet.  After  I  had  put  a  kettle  filled  with  snow,  containing 
a  handful  of  black  tea,  on  the  fire,  it  was  easy  to  rouse  the 
men;  the  rattle  of  a  granite  cup  against  the  kettle  or  the  cry 
"lee  tea"  always  brought  them  up  at  once.  After  eating  our 
dried  meat,  each  man  loaded  his  sled  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
It  was  necessary  to  use  our  bare  hands  in  lashing  the  sleds, 
which  was  the  coldest  work  of  the  day. 

We  became  comfortably  warm  after  running  a  few  minutes, 
and  had  accomplished  nearly  half  our  day's  journey  before  the 
first  gleams  of  dawn  —  "small  daylight"  —  had  appeared; 
though  it  rose  but  a  short  distance  above  the  horizon,  the  sun's 
appearance  had  a  wonderfully  enlivening  effect  on  our  spirits. 
The  boy  before  the  dogs  ran  with  a  free  and  untiring  step,  the 
whips  cracked  merrily,  the  bells  with  a  hundred  tinkling 
tongues  proclaimed  the  joys  of  light  and  life  in  speeding  over 
that  diamond-studded  plain  of  purity. 

Toward  evening  the  boy  stopped  more  frequently,  the  whips 
fell  mercilessly  on  the  heavy  coats  of  the  tired  team,  our  limbs 
moved  mechanically  as  if  they  had  lost  the  sense  of  feeling, 
our  hands  became  so  numb  that  we  sometimes  had  to  use  our 
teeth,  instead,  in  loosening  the  sled  lines. 

The  ice  formed  a  solid  mass  in  my  beard,  causing  my  voice 
to  sound  muffled,  and  in  time  froze  against  my  cheeks;  my 
eyelashes  we'^e  nearly  always  covered  with  frost,  which  seriously 
interfered  with  the  sight;  the  vapor  from  our  heated  bodies 
gathered  in  feathery  crystals  on  the  hair  of  our  capotes,  so  that 
we  were  quite  indistinguishable  from  one  another  at  a  little  dis- 
tance, in  tact,  hardly  recognizable  as  human  beings. 

Before  darkness  set  in  the  dogs  were  halted  and  all  entered 
the  bush,  ax  in  hand,  to  gather  fuel.  After  piling  up  half  a 
■cord  of  dead  spruce,  "Old  John  "and  I  scraped  away  the  snow 
with  our  snow-shoes  and  laid  down  a  thick  carpet  of  boughs 
on  which  to  spread  our  blankets.  The  boy  brought  wood  for 
the  morning  fire  until  the  camp  was  finished,  when  he  lighted 
the  fire  while  we  brought  '-p  our  sleds.  The  dogs  threw  all 
their  reserve  strength  into  the  effort  necessary  to  force  the  sled 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


95 


J 


through  the  soft  snow,  plowing  their  way  over  logs,  riding  down 
saplings  and  displaying  desperate  energy  until  they  reached 
the  dark  floor  of  the  camp,  where  they  usually  "made  them- 
selves awkward  "  before  the  sleds  were  dragged  into  position 
at  the  back  and  sides  of  the  oblong  bed  of  boughs.  After 
throwing  out  the  blankets  and  dog  fish,  we  relashed  the  sleds 
and  covered  them  with  brush  to  prevent  the  dogs  from  gnawing 
the  mooseskin  wrappers  and  the  braided  caribouskin  lines. 
The  mooseskin  harness  was  also  hung  out  of  their  reach  or  used 
as  pillows.  The  fire  extended  along  one  side  of  the  camp,  the 
logs  being  laid  up  in  the  form  of  a  very  obtuse  angle  pointing 
toward  us.  A  pole  resting  on  the  walls  of  snow  on  either  side 
was  placed  at  our  feet,  against  which  the  sixteen  fish  for  the 
dogs  were  leaned  to  thaw.  The  exterior  was  often  burned 
before  the  fish  were  rendered  flexible  enough  to  be  bent  by  the 
hands — when  they  were  considered  thawed  enough.  As  soon 
as  they  had  been  taken  from  the  harness  the  dogs  curled  them- 
selves up  in  the  snow  and  laid  very  quietly,  until  we  rose  to  give 
them  their  ration,  when  it  behooved  the  cook  to  look  to  his 
kettles,  for  the  dogs  were  sure  to  leap  over  the  outer  ends  of 
the  logs  in  their  excitement.  We  then  ate  our  meal  of  dried 
meat  or  hung  fish.  During  the  evening  the  foot  gear  was 
changed  and  dried;  no  other  change  of  clothing  was  made  for 
the  night.  Before  the  fire  died  away  the  men  ate  a  second 
meal  in  which  I  never  joined  them. 

We  used  the  provision  bags  and  such  portions  of  our  load  as 
the  dogs  could  eat  for  pillows,  where  our  heads  did  not  long 
rest  be;  ore  we  were  overcome  by  the  sleep  of  exhaustion,  which 
was  not  to  be  disturbed  by  the  dogs  running  over  us  or  lying  on 
top  of  our  bodies.  The  metis  or  Indians  use  a  single  three-  or 
three  and  a  half-point  blanket  in  summer  and  in  winter  add  a 
robe  of  caribou  or  hareskin.  I  have  seen  them  sleep  without 
robe  or  blanket  in  very  cold  weather.  Each  individual  laid  upon 
his  vest,  if  so  fortunate  as  to  have  one,  which  was  not  often,  and 
drew  his  capote  over  his  head  and  shoulders;  every  hour  or  two 
he  rose  to  add  fuel  to  the  fire,  and  two  or  three  times  during  the 
night  tea  was  boiled  and  a  lunch  eaten.  The  natives  make  a 
narrow  camp  and  curl  up  very  much  after  the  manner  of  the 
hauling  dogs.  I  always  had  to  lengthen  my  sleeping  place  by 
scooping  out  a  pit  at  the  back.     Upon  this  trip  I  used  a  sleep- 


96 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


ing-bag  made  of  woodland  caribouskin,  which  I  had  brought 
from  Iowa  City.  I  afterward  found  that  the  light  Barren 
Ground  caribouskin  robes,  such  as  the  natives  used,  were 
lighter,  warmer,  and  a  great  deal  more  convenient.  I  started 
from  Rae  with  two  double  blankets,  but  left  one  pair  at  Reso- 
lution. On  the  musk-ox  trip  I  used  a  single  blanket,  and  dur- 
ing the  last  week  gave  that  away  and  used  the  robe  alone — and 
slept  about  as  comfortably  as  when  I  had  the  sleeping-bag  and 
four  blankets! 

Our  first  day's  travel  was  up  the  Mackenzie  where  we  experi- 
enced some  difficulty  in  finding  sufficient  fuel,  the  dry  timber 
having  been  used  by  the  many  trippers  hauling  fish  from  Big 
Island  to  Providence.  We  reached  Hay  R.iver  on  the  third 
day,  where  we  spent  the  night  at  the  house  of  Mr.  T.  J.  Marshy 
one  of  the  most  self-sacrificing  of  northern  missionaries.  With 
no  companion  save  a  Scotch  servant,  who  has  since  been 
ordered  elsewhere,  he  is  devoting  his  life  to  the  little  band  of 
Chippewyans  who  have  built  cabins  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
upon  the  site  of  an  old  trading  post.  When  he  first  went 
among  them  they  demanded  exorbitant  wages  for  their  services, 
but  their  attitude  changed  to  one  of  respect  when  they  found 
him  quite  able  to  do  without  their  assistance.  With  the  aid  of 
his  servant  he  attended  to  his  nets,  cut  and  hauled  the  logs, 
built  a  dwelling  house,  and  at  the  time  of  my  visit  had  a  large 
church  building  nearly  completed.  The  natives  were  inde- 
pendent, owing  to  the  excellent  fishery  before  their  settlement; 
the  long  continued  coaxing  and  wheedling  of  the  traders  had 
made  them  impudent.  They  were  dressed  in  capotes  woven 
from  strips  of  hareskin.  The  round-cheeked  and  grimy  young- 
sters appeared  to  be  warm  and  happy  in  their  single  thick  and 
fluffy  combination  garment. 

Mr.  Marsh  spent  the  night  in  writing  letters.  He  accom- 
panied us  a  few  miles  the  next  morning,  and  as  we  parted  at 
daybreak,  I  felt  as  if  I  were  saying  farewell  to  the  friend  of 
years  instead  of  to  an  acquaintance  of  an  hour.  We  reached 
Buffalo  River  that  evening,  where  we  passed  the  night  in  the 
single  cabin  which  had  been  built  there  by  a  Chippewyan  chief. 
It  was  the  largest  and  cleanest  that  I  ever  saw  occupiea  oy 
either  metis  or  Indian. 

We  failed  to  reach  our  destination  on  the  fifth  day  owing  to 


th 
m 

P 

as 

h( 
di 

P' 


,f?SPW^w^ 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


97 


the  bodions,^  which  made  our  progress  slow  and  fatiguing.  Five 
miles  offshore  we  found  the  lake  free  from  bodions,  and  in 
places  swept  clear  of  snow.  The  dogs  slipped  and  floundered 
as  soon  as  all  four  of  them  were  on  the  bare  ice;  we  could  not 
help  them,  for  our  snow-shoes  slipped  so  easily  that  it  was 
difficult  to  maintain  our  own  equilibrium.  The  foregoer  of  the 
packet  team  at  last  refused  to  cross  the  ice  at  all  but  circled 
around  on  the  irregular  ridges  of  snow  much  to  "Old  John's" 
disgust.  Early  in  the  day  we  passed  Sulphur  Point,  where 
small  springs  emit  strong  sulphurous  odors.  We  encamped 
that  evening  on  one  of  the  Burnt  Islands,  which  we  had  diffi- 
culty in  reaching  owing  to  cie  high  and  vertical  wall  of  ice 
that  surrounded  it. 

Early  on  the  15th  of  December  we  reach  Resolution,  where 
I  was  a  second  time  hospitably  entertained  by  Mr.  Mackinlay, 
the  clerk  in  charge.  I  then  enjoyed  a  fortnight  of  much  needed 
rest.  I  had  traveled  over  eight  hundred  miles,  on  my  ozvn 
snow-slioeSy  in  company  with  different  parties  of  nati^  'i,  each 
of  which  had  tried  to  "  plant "  me.  The  trip  from  Rat.  ii>.  J  been 
a  "hard"  one.  The  dogs  were  nearly  worn  out,  and  unfortu- 
nately there  was  no  extra  provision  at  the  post  for  them.  The 
stock  of  supplies  on  hand  was  the  smallest  that  there  had  been 
at  that  season  for  years.  Easterly  winds — offshore — in  Septem- 
ber and  October  had  made  the  fall  fishery  almost  a  failure. 
No  boat  had  been  despatched  to  the  east  end  of  the  lake, 
where  large  quantities  of  dried  meat  and  grease  might  have 
been  obtained  from  the  caribou  hunters.  The  stock  of  flour 
was  nearly  exhausted  and  all  other  supplies  for  the  clerk's 
table  had  been  lost  by  the  wrecking  of  the  boat  containing 
them  in  the  Athabasca  Rapids.  The  post  was  subsisting  prin- 
cipally on  fresh  lake  trout,  caught  with  hooks  set  through  the 
ice,  fiom  one  to  five  miles  out  in  the  bay.  I  could  buy  these 
for  one  ^B  apiece  but  they  were  too  heavy  to  carry  for  dog 
feed,  and  unsuited  for  continuous  use  as  food.  The  outlook 
for  the  projected  buffalo  hunt  was  not  bright.  I  could  not  in- 
duce Little  Francois,  the  Chippewyan  hunter,  whom  I  had 
engaged  in  the  autumn,  to  start  until  after  the  New-year's  fes- 
tin.  There  were  no  other  men  available,  I  had  to  await  his 
pleasure — and  he  knew  it. 

*  Broken  ice  pushed  up  by  a  storm  at  the  time  of  its  setting  fast  in  the  fall. 


98 


EXPLORATIONS   IN  THE   FAR   NORTH 


The  Yellow  Knives.  On  the  22d  of  December  small  bands  of 
Yellow  Knives  began  to  arrive  from  the  camps  across  the  lake. 
Each  party  contained  eight  or  ten  men  with  four  or  five  trains 
of  dogs.  At  the  last  camping  place  clean  shirts  and  moccasins 
had  been  put  on  over  the  old,  and  their  hair  and  faces  had  been 
freshly  greased.  Dashing  up  to  the  big  house,  with  cracking 
whips  and  jingling  bells,  they  crowded  into  the  clerk's  office  to 
shake  hands  and  give  their  "news"  before  going  to  the  store 
to  receive  their  "arrival  gratuity,"  consisting  of  two  pots — 
pints — of  flour,  a  pot  of  tea,  one  of  sugar,  and  two  plugs  of 
negro-head  tobacco  to  each  man,  and  a  somewhat  larger  allow- 
ance to  the  chiefs.  After  begging  meat  and  dog  fish,  they 
betook  themselves  to  the  cabins  of  the  Company's  servants  to 
eat  their  allowance,  which  is  never  spoiled  with  keeping.  Some 
of  them  brought  a  few  pounds  of  dried  meat  for  which  they 
received  the  regular  price  and  a  "present"  besides.  They  then 
befTged  for  half  of  it  upon  which  to  live  during  the  two  or  three 
da}'s  spent  at  the  post.  "Surely  the  master  will  give  us  a  little 
meat  when  we  are  starving,  for  we  have  brought  meat  from  far 
to  please  him." 

Zinto  was  the  most  popular  leader  among  them.  He  was  a 
tall,  fine-looking  Yellow  Knife,  though  somewhat  disfigured 
by  a  ferocious  squint.  Black  Head,  another  prominent  chief, 
kept  close  to  Zinto  while  the  latter  was  about  the  post,  either 
from  a  desire  to  hold  himself  aloof  from  the  vulgar  herd  or  to 
see  that  Zinto  did  not  receive  more  favors  than  himself  from 
the  master.  Black  Head  had  a  round,  stolid  face,  with  a  pug 
nose,  and  an  expression  that  was  "childlike  and  bland."  He 
asked  for  and  obtained  a  New-year's  gratuity,  saying  that  he 
was  going  back  to  his  camp  at  once.  Just  before  New-year 
he  reappeared,  ready  for  another  ration! 

After  their  festm  they  gathered  for  a  big  talk.  The  chiefs 
seated  themselves  in  chairs,  the  others  sat  crosslegged  on  the 
floor.  Zinto  talked  half  a  day,  using  frequent  and  graceful 
gestures.  The  other  chiefs  also  spoke  at  length,  though  of 
course  a  great  deal  of  time  was  consumed  in  interpreting. 
Michel,  the  metis  interpreter,  translated  Mr.  Mackinlay's  Eng- 
lish into  the  Yellow  Knife  dialect,  which  in  turn  was  interpreted 
in  French,  making  a  sort  of  triangular  conversation  that  was 
rather  amusing  to  me.     Each  chief  wanted  to  know  why  the 


WINTER  TRAVEL 


99 


Indian  did  not  get  fifty  skins  instead  of  thirty  for  musk-ox 
robes?  Why  had  he  not  received  the  gun  promised  him,  or 
the  suit  of  clothes,  or  other  present?  Would  they  receive  a 
thousand  and  ne  things  when  the  steamer  came  in  July?  They 
wanted  iron  ketths,  field  glasses,  rifles,  match  safes,  goggles, 
and  medicines,  pencils  and  paper  for  writing  letters  in  syllabics 
when  sending  for  supplies,  and  if  the  master  would  give  him 
some  of  his  own  tobacco,  and  a  pair  of  his  own  trousers  the 
speaker's  heart  would  be  glad! 

Mr.  Mackinlay  replied  that  he  was  paying  them  as  nuch  for 
robes  as  the  dealers  in  the  white  man's  country  received  for 
them  dressed  and  lined;  that  the  steamer  would  bring  an 
enormous  stock  in  the  spring  of  much  better  goods  than  the 
free  traders  could  bring  in;  that  he  would  give  "  debt"  to  help 
his  Yellow  Knife  brothers,  a  thing  which  no  other  officer  in 
the  service  was  allowed  to  do.  It  all  ended  by  his  going 
to  the  store  and  dealing  out  a  few  skins  of  tea,  tobacco  and 
other  supplies,  to  be  paid  for  when  the  robes  were  delivered — 
if  the  hunter  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  any  furs  in  the 
meantime  which  he  had  not  sold  to  the  free  trader  of  whom 
he  also  endeavored  to  obtain  as  much  "debt"  as  possible. 

It  was  cold  work  for  the  "master,"  measuring  dry  goods  and 
counting  bullets  in  the  storeroom  without  any  fire.  During  the 
summer  season,  when  there  are  hundreds  at  the  post,  only  one 
is  admittcu  to  the  shop  at  a  time.  The  door  is  kept  locked 
behind  him  until  he  has  made  his  purchases  before  the  broad, 
high  counter,  over  which  the  clerk  must  clamber  to  reach  the 
goods.  As  soon  as  he  goes  out  he  is  surrounded  by  his  friends 
who  overhaul  his  bundle  and  give  him  such  varied  and  bewil- 
dering advice  that  he  would  be  pleased  if  permitted  to  exchange 
everything. 

On  Christmas  eve  a  midnight  mass  was  celebrated  at  the 
Roman  Catholic  mission.  The  church  was  crowded  with  na- 
tives, who  were  quite  overcome  by  the  splendor  displayed,  par- 
ticularly by  the  scores  of  candles,  the  burning  of  which 
appeared  to  be  a  sinful  waste  of  several  pounds  of  appetizing 
and  palatable  grease.  I  no  longer  ridiculed  their  fondness  for 
grease.  I  had  learned  to  value  it  above  all  other  luxuries  of 
the  country,  and  would  not  have  exchanged  a  block  of  it,  while 
on  the  march,  for  the  richest  plum  pudding  ever  made. 


,4 


Ht.-!'!'J«I?' 


\i\: 


I'   I 


I 


lOO 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


On  Christmas  day  all  the  metis  and  Indians  visited  the  big 
house,  and  drank  the  twenty  gallons  of  tea,  which  there  awaited 
them;  they  then  moved  in  a  body  to  the  free  trader's  tea 
kettles,  to  the  Anglican  mission,  to  the  school,  and  to  the  Catho- 
lic mission,  after  which  they  separated  to  enjoy  a  good  square 
meal  in  the  metis  cabins. 

The  bush  Indians  left  the  post  the  next  day.  At  New-year 
a  different  crowd  gathered  for  another y^.y/i'«.  The  day  opened 
with  a  salute  from  a  score  of  guns  before  each  door;  it  was  sp'^nt 
in  feasting  and  closed  with  a  dance  which  was  continued  until  8 
A.  M.,  January  2nd.  The  Indians  danced  in  one  of  the  cabins. 
They  sang  improvised  songs,  descriptive  of  their  hunts  or  their 
relations  with  the  traders,  or  chanted  in  monotonous  but  not  un- 
musical syllables,  such  as  Hi!  He!  He-yah!  or  Heeja,  Hooja! 
accompanying  the  voice  with  hand-clapping  and  drum-beating. 
They  danced,  or  rather  stamped,  in  a  circle,  swaying  their  bodies 
from  side  to  side.  Sometimes  the  dancer  bent  far  forward,  bal- 
anced upon  one  foot,  his  whole  body  quivered,  and  his  voice 
sank  to  a  guttural  huh,  huh.  Tonality  was  subordinated  to 
ungraceful  and  violent  body  action  and  the  effect,  as  a  whole, 
was  not  pleasing. 

The  whites  and  metis  danced  their  jigs  and  reels  in  the  big 
house.  The  festin  disposed  of  the  last  of  the  imported  provi- 
sion. Meat  was  more  abundant  at  the  camp,  for  which  the 
Indians  made  haste  to  depart  next  day. 

The  Buffalo  Hunt.  As  Little  Francois,  in  contracting  to  guide 
me  to  the  buffaloes,  made  his  demands  according  to  the  pres- 
ent advanced  ideas  prevalent  among  the  Chippewyans,  I  will 
narrate  the  circumstances  somewhat  in  detail.  Indian  laborers 
are  accustomed  to  receive  daily  rations  for  themselves  and  fam- 
ilies, who,  as  they  never  make  any  provision  for  the  future, 
would  starve  the  next  day  if  the  net  and  gun  failed  them.  They 
are  given  a  small  plug  of  negro-head  tobacco  each  day;  this  is 
smoked.  I  never  saw  a  Northern  Athabascan  Indian  chew 
tobacco. 

Francois  demanded  double  wages;  he  was  getting  too  old  to 
walk  before  my  dogs;  he  must  take  his  own  team  and  ride  part 
of  the  way;  another  man  must,  therefore,  be  hired  to  walk  be- 
fore the  dogs.  Henri  was  willing  to  go  for  the  same  wages 
that  Francois  received.  The  latter  concluded  that  if  I  furnished 


";\L 


f'^m^mm^^' 


V/INTER   TRAVEL 


lOI 


the  old  wife  with  rations,  they  must  be  such  as  were  used  at 
the  post;  she  must  liave  flour  and  bacon.  A  woman  usually 
receives  a  half  ration,  which  is  more  than  an  ordinar)-  white 
man  would  eat.  Francois  thought  that  fifty  pounds  of  flour 
and  twenty-five  of  bacon  would  perhaps  keep  her  from  actual 
starvation  for  the  next  fifteen  days,  but  for  fear  it  would  not, 
he  wanted  another  week  to  hunt  moose  so  that  she  could  have 
some  fresh  meat.  It  was  really  touching  to  see  how  solicitous 
he  was  for  the  welfare  of  his  childless  spouse.  He  then  left 
the  post,  telling  the  interpreter  to  have  me  bring  plenty  of  tea 
and  tobacco.  I  took  every  pound  of  meat  and  flour  that  I 
could  purchase  at  the  store,  from  the  mission,  and  the  free 
trader,  and  then  did  not  have  enough. 

On  the  8th  I  went  to  his  house  at  the  mouth  of  little  Buffalo 
River,  and  found,  as  I  had  expected,  that  he  had  not  gone  to 
hunt  moose,  but  had  asked  fo.  delay  in  order  that  sufficient 
time  might  elapse  before  again  visiting  his  traps  which  were 
upon  our  route.  When  I  reached  the  house,  the  old  wife 
wanted  tea  and  tobacco.  I  had  brought  compressed  tea,  for 
convenience  in  carrying;  this  did  not  suit  their  cultivated  tastes. 
They  were  "thinking  long"  for  meat,  and  would  I  not  give 
them  a  supper  from  the  scanty  stock  on  my  sled?  Could  I  not 
give  her  some  more  sugar?  The  men  would  require  plenty  of 
matches,  and  could  I  not  spare  her  a  few  boxes  also?  Francois 
was  quite  right  in  making  as  good  a  bargain  as  possible,  but 
he  was  not  so  unsophisticated  as  his  ancestors,  who  would  have 
served  me  for  the  sake  of  the  extra  buttons  on  my  capote  and 
perhaps  one  cup  of  tea  on  the  trip.  I  purchased  here  ten 
sticks  of  the  smallest  whitefish  that  I  saw  anywhere  in  the 
country.  They  had  been  caught  in  the  Little  Buffalo  River, 
and  did  not  exceed  one  pound  each  in  weight.  I  left  eight  fish 
for  my  dogs  on  the  return  trip;  these  were  stolen  during  my 
absence. 

We  started  at  9  a.  m.,  January  gth,  and  followed  the  river  for 
perhaps  eight  miles.  Its  course  is  remarkably  straight  for  that 
of  a  small  stream  flowing  through  a  low  alluvial  plain.  It  is 
sometimes  used  as  a  canoe  route  to  Fort  Smith,  a  portage 
being  made  into  the  Slave  River.  Henri  said  that  its  water 
was  brackish,  owing  to  the  salt  springs  near  its  source. 
It  is  mapped  as  a  single,  unbranched  stream,  but  it  is  formed 


■I 


I02 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


by  three  creeks  flowing  from  the  southwest.  The  first  flowed 
in  a  narrow,  winding  channel,  cut  but  little  below  the  plain; 
the  second  had  a  shallow  channel,  bordered  by  a  narrow 
marsh,  which  wound  through  a  heavy  forest.  We  followed 
its  course  for  a  few  miles  to  avoic  cutting  a  trail  through  the 
bush.  Every  few  minutes  the  dogs  turned  back,  whining  as 
they  licked  their  feet,  which  had  been  wet  by  the  water  lying 
on  the  ice  just  under  the  crust  of  snow;  for  the  water  was  over- 
flowing the  ice  and  prevented  from  freezing  to  any  extent  by 
the  mineral  impurities  which  it  contained.  The  ice  gathered 
at  each  crossing  on  the  bottoms  of  the  sleds  whence  it  must  be 
scraped  with  knife  and  ax  before  the  dogs  could  haul  the 
heavy  loads  in  the  soft  snow.  The  slush  gathered  on  our  moc- 
casins and  snow-shoes,  and  froze  in  a  solid  mass  in  a  very  few 
minutes.  I  broke  through  the  ice  with  one  foot,  but  as  the 
water  did  not  penetrate  to  the  skin,  I  continued  until  we 
camped  for  the  night,  with  a  cylinder  of  ice  reaching  to  my 
knee.  The  third  creek,  the  Indians  said,  took  its  rise  near 
Buffalo  Lake.  It  was  but  a  few  feet  in  width  with  banks  about 
twenty  feet  in  height. 

Our  course  was  toward  the  south,  for  two  days,  along  Fran- 
cois' trapping  trail,  where  he  found  a  few  martens  and  a  fisher 
in  his  traps  and  a  dozen  hares  in  snares.  He  would  not  ocll  me 
the  fisher  and  deliver  it  to  me  from  the  trap,  at  the  price  that 
he  would  receive  at  the  post  after  carrying  it  for  a  week  and 
skinning  and  drying  the  pelt. 

The  buffaloes  were  said  to  be  found  on  the  prairies,  but  these 
were  so  small,  compared  with  the  wooded  area,  that  I  kept  ask- 
ing Henri  if  we  were  near  the  prairies  yet,  not  considering  the 
occasional  marshy  meadows  worthy  of  the  name  prairie.  The 
country  was  monotonously  level  and  covered  with  innumer- 
able "lakes." 

After  leaving  the  trapping  trail  we  had  to  cut  our  way  through 
the  bush.  Henri  broke  the  trail  with  large  hunting  snow-shoes 
which  sank  several  inches  in  the  snow,  making  a  furrow  in 
which  the  dogs  floundered  along  with  their  backs  on  a  level 
with  the  surface.  My  snow-shoes  were  of  the  smallest  size, 
which  made  the  walking  more  fatiguing.  I  used  the  pushing- 
stick  on  the  level,  and  hauled  on  the  head  of  the  sled  in  ascend- 
ing the  steep  banks  of  the  ponds.     As  I  tramped  along  in  the 


h'.^. 


«f^c,jy,^??s?!!flr»^" 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


103 


yielding  snow,  pushing  with  all  my  strength  to  keep  up  the  cir- 
culation of  the  blood,  which  was  not  warmed  by  the  snail-like 
pace,  I  thought  of  how  much  more  slowly  the  buffaloes  of  the 
plains  would  have  been  exterminated  if  those  who  had  killed 
them  in  sheer  wantonness  had  been  compelled  to  hunt  them  as 
I  was  hunting  the  wood  buffaloes  of  the  North. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  day  we  reached  the  northern  limit 
of  the  buffalo  range,  perhaps  fifty  miles  south  of  the  Great 
Slave  Lake.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  search  of  buffaloes, 
the  dogs  being  left  in  camp. 

The  only  result  of  the  day's  work,  was  the  opening  a  trail, 
six  or  seven  miles  in  advance,  which  "set"  during  the  night 
and  formed  a  hard  track  for  the  sleds.  When  the  natives  travel 
in  winter,  the  men  keep  such  a  track  opened  a  day's  march 
ahead  of  the  women,  who  follow  with  the  sleds,  set  up  the 
deerskin  lodge  at  nightfall,  and  cut  wood  for  the  camp-fire. 
In  this  way  the  moose  and  caribou  along  the  route  are  secured 
by  the  hunters,  and  not  driven  away  by  the  noisy  company  in 
charge  of  the  sleds,  and  then,  too,  the  frozen  track  makes  pro- 
gress possible  for  the  always  overloaded  and  underfed  dogs. 

We  pushed  on  the  next  morning  at  a  rapid  pace  until  we  fell 
in  with  the  soft  snow  again.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  entered 
an  extensive  grove  of  pines,  Piniis  banksiana  Lamk.,  the  cypres 
of  the  metis.  The  trees  were  the  largest  that  I  saw  in  th ; 
country,  of  this  species.^  We  camped  late  and  were  until  10 
A.  M.  the  next  day,  in  reaching  the  prairie,  at  the  farther  side 
of  the  banksian  pines.  There  another  day  was  spent  in  fruit- 
less searcl.  for  signs  of  the  buffaloes.  We  had  just  enough 
provision  left  for  the  return  trip.  Francois  said  that  it  was  four 
days'  travel  to  the  next  prairie,  and  he  did  not  know  the  way. 
I  had  no  alternative  but  to  turn  back.  The  snowstorm,  which 
prevailed  during  our  stay  at  the  last  camp,  filled  our  track  and 
made  the  hauling  as  heavy  as  during  the  outward  journey. 
One  of  my  dogs  had  injured  his  shoulder  on  the  way  to  Provi- 
dence, and  I  had  to  turn  him  out  of  the  harness  and  help  the 
others  with  the  pushing-stick. 

We  started  down  the  Little  Buffalo  River  late  on  the  thir- 
teenth day,  against  a  strong  wind.     The  thermometers  at  the 

II  found  groves  of  fair-sized  banksian  pine  as  far  north  as  the  Sah-me- 
t'ie-kfwa  Hills,  at  least  fifty  miles  north  of  Rae. 


!        \ 


I      »■' 


I04 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


'     a 


post  registered  forty-three  degrees  below  zero  at  that  time. 
Henri  left  us  at  a  brisk  run,  yet  his  nose  and  cheeks  were 
frozen  before  he  reached  Fran<;ois'  house.  I  could  only  face  the 
wind  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  but  by  devoting  my  whole 
attention  to  it  I  escaped  with  slight  nips  where  the  ice  formed 
in  my  beard.  Fran(;ois'  cheeks  were  frozen;  when  in  sight  of 
his  cabin,  he  bolted  for  the  fire  and  left  his  dogs  to  be  attended 
to  by  his  wife.  Imagine  my  feelings  on  finding  that  the  fish  had 
been  stolen  which  my  dogs  so  greatl}'  needed,  or  my  own  satis- 
faction in  seeing  them  whip  the  band  of  about  twenty  giddes 
at  feeding  time,  and  recover  their  own. 

I  reached  the  post  the  next  day  and  learned  that  the  returned 
packet  men  had  heard  that  two  buffaloes  had  been  killed  by 
the  Smith  Indians  in  the  fall,  and  that  the  main  herd  had  just 
passed  in  our  direction.  As  Francois  killed  buffaloes  nearly 
every  year,  the  people  at  the  post  were  confident  that  we 
would  find  them.  I  had  not  time  to  make  a  second  attempt 
from  Resolution  or  Smith,  as  the  time  was  near  at  hand  vvhen  I 
must  prepare  for  the  musk-ox  hunt. 

During  my  absence  from  the  post,  a  trader  had  arrived  from 
Willow  River,  twent)' miles  north  of  Rae,  accompanied  by  Chil- 
louis,  one  of  the  numerous  Laferte  family.  Chillouis  had  not 
been  a  very  successful  guide,  as  they  had  lost  their  way  and 
spent  a  night  on  the  open  lake  without  fire  or  food.  He  was 
cross-eyed  and  said  to  be  unable  "to  follow  a  beated  track." 

The  trader  was  ready  to  return  and  I  was  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  accompany  him,  as  I  had  expected  to  cross  the  lake 
alone.  We  started  on  the  24th  of  January  and  slept  that  night 
in  a  solitary  cabin  which  an  enterprising  metis  had  built  near 
risle  de  Pierre.  We  were  awakened  two  or  three  times  by  the 
aiiival  of  small  parties  of  Yellow  Knives,  w  -  were  on  the  way 
to  the  outlying  camps.  The  single  room  vas  soon  filled  with 
men  who,  after  disposing  of  several  kettles  of  tea,  threw  them- 
selves down  upon  the  floor  with  a  heap  of  dog  harness,  an 
extra  capote,  or  the  floor  alone  for  a  pillow.  Each  man 
wrapped  in  a  single  blanket,  pulled  close  over  the  head, 
stretched  his  bare  feet  toward  the  fireplace,  above  which  the 
moccasins  and  ragged  foot-wrappings  were  drying.  Notwith- 
standing the  vitiated  atmosphere,  caused  by  thirty  persons 
occupying  an  almost  air-tight  room,  for  several  hours,  I  rested 


1    ''i 


WINTER  TRAVEL 


105 


very  comfortably  upon  that  cabin  floor  and  felt  little  inclined 
to  leave  its  comparative  comfort  at  4  a.  m.  to  harness  my  shiv- 
ering team  in  the  biting  cold  of  an  arctic  night  and  start  before 
daybreak  across  the  Grand  Traverse. 

The  Indians  usually  cross  at  night,  directing  their  course 
by  the  stars.  They  dread  the  cold  winds  which  blow  during 
the  d.iy  and  fill  the  air  with  drifting  snow  until  all  landmarks 
are  obscured. 

Until  we  reached  the  mainland  north  of  the  lake,  we  had  to 
dig  driftwood  for  fuel  out  of  the  deep  snow.  We  followed  the 
canoe  route,  with  which  I  had  become  painfully  familiar  the 
preceding  summer.  As  we  were  plodding  along  one  evening 
among  the  islands,  my  dogs  suddenly  caught  the  scent  of  a 
band  of  caribou  which  was  somewhere  to  windward  on  the 
mainland.  They  had  been  hauling  as  if  quite  exhausted,  but 
that  scarcely  perceptible  breath  of  air  was  sufficient  to  start 
them  at  full  speed  toward  the  familiar  game. 

We  reached  Rae  late  on  the  sixth  day,  though  we  had  to  rise 
at  3  A.  M.each  morning  to  make  the  trip  in  the  appointed  time. 
I  suffered  from  the  ntal  dc  racqiiette  the  last  day  which,  fortu- 
nately, had  not  before  troubled  me  on  the  whole  six  hundred 
and  fifty-mile  journey;  I  had  been  absent  two  months  from 
Rae,  had  pushed  the  sled  most  of  that  distance,  and  had  not 
even  seen  a  buffalo  track  for  my  pains. 

The  prospects  for  a  successful  musk-ox  hunt,  which  was  the 
next  and  the  chief  undertaking  of  the  expedition,  were  not 
promising,  so  that  my  spirits  were  at  the  lowest  ebb  during 
the  month  of  February,  1894,  which  I  spent  in  the  cold  and 
lonely  cabin  at  Rae. 

During  the  month  Mr.  Hodgson  and  I  maintained  a  "trap- 
ping track,"  or  rather,  a  line  of  poisoned  baits,  thirty  miles  in 
length.  The  Dog  Ribs  were  so  afraid  of  strychnine  that  they 
would  not  even  touch  an  animal  killed  by  it.  They  know  that 
it  is  very  bad  medicine  indeed,  for  did  not  Kwatse  die  in  the 
springtime  from  using  the  water  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake  a  few 
miles  from  where  a  bait  had  been  left  in  the  winter's  snow? 
The  Loucheux  of  the  Lower  Mackenzie  are  not  so  timid,  they 
use  strychnine  for  baits  without  fear.  Nearly  every  clerk  sets 
a  few  baits  each  winter,  which  usually  succeed  in  killing  the 
favorite  dog  of  the  post,  a  red  or  cross  fox,  or  very  rarely  a 
silver  fox. 


io6 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


f,i 


I  occupied  the  few  hours  of  daylight,  at  that  season  in  cut- 
ting firewood  and  in  writing  up  my  journals.  I  could  not 
work  at  night  as  I  had  neither  lamp  nor  candles.  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  keeping  the  cabin  warm  enough  to  prevent  the  ink 
from  freezing  even  when  I  sat  beside  the  fireplace  which  was 
kept  well  filled.  Back,  writing  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Great 
Slave  Lake  in  February,  1834,  had  a  similar  experience:  "  Ink 
and  paint  froze.  I  made  an  attempt  to  finish  a  sketch  by  plac- 
ing the  table  as  near  the  fire  as  I  could  bear  the  heat;  but  a 
scratchy  mark,  and  small  shining  particles  at  the  point  of  the 
sable,  convinced  me  that  it  was  useless.  On  one  occasion, 
after  washing  my  face  within  three  feet  of  the  fire,  my  hair  was 
actually  clotted  with  ice  before  I  could  dry  it."* 

I  several  times  found  that  the  ice  had  formed  upon  my  hair 
in  a  few  seconds  so  that  the  comb  would  not  pass  through 
it  readily.  The  fireplace  was  only  large  enough  to  contain  a 
few  billets  of  wood  in  an  upright  position.  The  northern  fire- 
place is  never  broad  or  deep.  It  is  designed  to  throw  out  as 
much  heat  as  possible  from  the  small  billets  of  quick-burning 
pine  and  spruce  wood.  It  is  usually  provided  with  two  hooks, 
one  for  the  tea  kettle  and  the  other  for  the  kettle  in  which 
meat  or  fish  is  boiled.  I  preferred  to  cook  my  own  venison,  of 
which  I  had  secured  an  abundance,  and  occasionally  indulged 
in  a  bit  of  whitefish  roasted  by  suspending  it  from  the  rafters 
above. 

Without  the  daily  visits  of  Mr.  Hodgson  I  should  have  found 
the  monotony  of  fort  life  hard  to  endure,  but  his  long  residence 
in  the  Far  North  had  furnished  him  with  a  store  of  experience 
that  enabled  him  to  make  the  most  of  the  "pleasures  of  soli- 
tude," and  had  given  him  a  wide  acquaintance  with  the  natives 
and  tb'^  peculiar  cult  of  the  Company's  people.  Stalwart  of 
frame — standing  six  feet  three  inches  in  height — he  was  re- 
spected by  the  natives  as  a  man  not  to  be  trifled  with.  The 
prestige  of  "The  Honorable,  the  Hudson's  Bay"  has  been  in 
no  small  degree  acquired  through  the  personal  valor  of  its  rep- 
resentatives whom  I  have  seen  attacked  by  rowdy  natives 
(Crees)  "out  of  pure  cussedness,"  though  the  Northern  Indian 
as  a  rule  is  a  very  timid  creature. 


a 
at 
a 
e\ 

ni 
a 
a 
ol 

PI 


^Narrative  of  a  Journey  to  the  Shore  of  the  Arctic  Sea,  p.  173. 


Vt  •  ^' 


""  V*.,,.  *• 


i 


f 


WINTER   TRAVEL 


107 


Each  evening  the  watchman's  whistle  at  the  storehouse 
called  some  member  of  the  families  of  the  two  engaged  serv- 
ants, to  receive  the  rations  for  the  following  day.  These  were 
called  their  ^'pret"  and  "  giving  out  pret"  \vas  the  principal 
event  of  the  day.  At  some  of  the  posts  the  servants  are  sum- 
moned for  rations  by  a  bell  or  by  a  gong,  but  whatever  the  sig- 
nal it  is  promptly  obeyed.  A  laborer's  ration  is  four  fresh  fish 
a  day,  or  four  pounds  of  half-dry,  or  three  pounds  of  dried 
caribou  meat;  one  and  one-half  pounds  of  tea,  and  two  pounds 
of  negro-head  tobacco  each  month;  forty  pounds  of  white 
pressed  sugar,  and  one  hundred  pounds  of  flour  each  year.  The 
wife  gets  a  half  ration  and  a  considerable  quantity  is  usually 
given  for  the  maintenance  of  the  family,  which  often  contains 
six  or  more  children,  averaging  nearly  twice  the  number  which 
the  Indian  family  contains. 


^■JiyutfllliiilLapariMiilp 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  MUSK-OX  HUNT 

TOWARD  the  end  of  Februarj'  the  Indians  gathered  in  bands 
along  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Ground,  where  they  killed 
caribou  in  preparation  for  the  musk-ox  hunt.  A  considerable 
portion  of  the  Yellow  Knife  and  Dog  Rib  tribes  depend  entirely 
on  the  sale  o*^  musk-ox  robes  to  obtain  credit  at  the  Compan)''s 
stores,  from  which  the)-  must  buy  tea,  tobacco,  ammunition, 
etc.  Since  they  had  given  up  the  fall  hunt,  owing  to  the 
severity  of  the  season,  it  became  the  more  necessary  that  they 
should  succeed  in  the  spring.  Thej'  were  unwilling  to  run  the 
risk  of  admitting  a  white  man  to  the  great  hunting  ground, 
which  is  peculiarly  their  own.  Although  the)-  looked  upon  any 
white  man  not  connected  with  the  Company  as  lawful  prey, 
who  was  to  pay  exorbitant  prices  for  their  services,  because  "he 
is  rich  and  we  are  poor,"  their  superstition  was  stronger  than 
their  cupidity.  Naohmby  sent  a  message  to  the  effect  that  I 
might  come  to  his  camp  if  I  wished.  True,  he  had  promised 
to  take  me  to  the  musk-ox,  but  he  and  his  followers  were  starv- 
ing and  it  was  doubtful  if  they  could  kill  any  caribou  for  the 
hunt.  This  was  not  encouraging,  and  as  I  knew  that  Naohmby 
really  followed  the  longest  route  to  the  Barren  Ground,  reach- 
ing it  at  a  point  northeast  of  the  Great  Bear  Lake,  I  gave  up 
the  plan  of  accompan\'ing  him  and  determined  to  pounce  upon 
the  first  band  of  Dog  Ribs  which  made  its  appearance  at  Rae. 
On  the  4th  of  March  I  told  a  party  of  four,  who  had  couieto 
the  fort  for  ammunition  for  the  hunt,  that  I  was  going  with 
them  whether  the)'  wanted  me  to  do  so  or  not.  With  the  aid 
of  the  fort  interpreter  we  discussed  the  matter  until  midnight. 
Johnnie  Cohoyla,  a  petty  chief,  was  leader  of  the  party.  He 
had  been  engaged  b)'  the  Company  in  his  younger  da)s  as  a 
boatman,  when  he  had  acquired  a  limited  vocabulary  of  Red 

108 


fV 


' 


llodKson. 


l."liili>kwi. 


Aiidrfw. 


I'.sviili. 


Juhtillie  Ciilioyhi. 


mii)<;si>.N's  luriiT  lkavinc,   uai-,  hn  tiii:  i'oi  ktii  di    makcii.   iS(>4. 


Rh 

I 

me 

\ 

if  I 

pri 

1                ski 

i               th€ 

' 

) 

of 

m> 

de( 

,/'i 


i  *"•  t- 

e4. 


^    t'! 


•t\,  ^ 


Mi 


^f 
'ii. 


THE   MUSK-OX   HUNT 


109 


River  French.  He  finally  consented  to  "look  after  me,"  which 
meant  to  look  at  me  doing  my  own  work,  and  to  cook  for  me — 
if  I  purchased  meat  for  him  and  his  family,  which  became  sur- 
prisingly large  in  a  short  time.  In  return  I  agreed  to  pay  two 
skins,  or  one  dollar  a  day,  and  supply  tea  for  our  party  during 
the  trip. 

We  started  late  on  the  5th  fo*-  the  Indian  camps  at  the  edge 
of  the  timber.  I  was  not  in  a  cheerful  mood  as  I  hitched  in 
my  dogs  for  the  long  journey  which,  the  Dog  Ribs  emphatically 
declared,  would  kill  me,  as  they,  accustomed  to  such  a  life, 
"found  it  hard."  I  would  have  to  walk  or  run  on  snow- 
shoes  the  entire  distance,  and  not  lie  in  a  portable  bed  or  cari- 
ole  as  do  most  travelers  in  the  interior  of  the  Far  North,  while 
some  native  driver  attends  to  the  team.  I  would  not  hear  an 
English  word  for  two  months,  and  the  antagonism  of  the  unwill- 
ing Indians  must  prove  a  source  of  constant  annoyance. 

My  outfit  consisted  of  a  45-90  Winchester  and  ammunition, 
fifteen  pounds  of  dried  caribou  meat,  eighteen  pounds  of  frozen 
bread,  several  pounds  of  tea,  and  a  few  ounces  of  salt.  My 
bedding  consisted  of  a  single  four-point  blanket  sewed  to  a 
light  caribouskin  robe. 

Johnnie  tried  to  "plant"  me  on  the  hundred  and  fifty-mile 
trip  to  the  camps.  He  would  have  walked  that  distance  in  two 
days,  but  his  dogs  were  not  equal  to  the  task,  and  though  they 
were  beaten  until  their  heads  were  bruised  and  bleeding,  they 
could  not  reach  our  destination  in  less  than  three  days.  My 
ankles  troubled  me  with  the  torturing  mal  de  racquette,  which 
made  me  very  glad  to  see  the  dirty,  smoke-begrimed  lodges 
wi*h  their  swarm  of  dogs  and  half-naked  children.  The  whole 
camp  was  soon  wrangling  over  my  last  pinch  of  salt.  I  was 
dependent  upon  my  rifle  or  the  Indians  for  meat,*  which  with 
tea  made  up  the  bill  of  fare  for  the  next  two  months. 

The  Dog  Ribs  were  not  ready  for  the  great  musk-ox  hunt. 
They  must  first  make  new  snow-shoes,  sled  lines,  and  mocca- 
sins; caribou  must  be  killed  and  pounded  meat  and  grease  pre- 
pared. 

We  moved  our  camps  twice  during  the  next  three  weeks,  and 

*I  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  names  of  those 
who  sold  me  meat.  I  had  no  goods  with  me,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to 
keep  an  account 'of  all  purchases.  It  was  only  by  inquiring  of  others  that 
I  could  learn  the  name  of  the  person  concerned. 


no 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


thus  interrupted  the  drearily  monotonous  rub-dub  of  the  noisy 
drum.i,  to  the  beating  of  which  the  men  sat  and  gambled  from 
early  morning  until  midnight.  They  were  not  willing  to  ven- 
ture as  yet  upon  the  bleak  desert  of  snow,  known  to  them  as 
the  Tech-in  aoo-le — "No-wood"  country.  At  last,  however,  it 
was  finally  'ecided  that  we  should  start  after  the  Easter  festivi- 
ties were  concluded. 

On  Eastcj,'  Sunday  we  all  gathered  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
chief's  lodge  for  prayers.  The  men,  their  hair  and  faces  trestily 
greased,  were  the  first  to  arrive  and  took  their  places  in  a  semi- 
circle round  the  fire  opposite  the  entrance.  The  women  seated 
themselves  in  a  group  near  the  door  flap.  "  Jimmie  the  Chief" 
occupied  the  post  of  honor  at  one  side,  on  his  right  sat  his  wife, 
beyond  whom  were  the  other  women  and  the  children.  On  his 
left  was  Johnnie  Cohoyla,  the  choir  leader,  and  I  the  guest  of 
the  band;  next  came  the  older  men  in  order  of  rank.  We  all 
sat  crosslegged  upon  blankets,  spread  on  the  floor  of  spruce 
boughs.  The  women  brought  the  family  tinware,  a  plate  and 
cup  for  each  person,  wrapped  with  the  hymn  books  in  a  piece 
of  coffee  sacking  which  afterward  served  as  a  table  cloth. 
Over  the  fire  hung  a  ten-gallon  kettle  of  boiling  meat,  while 
beside  it  stood  other  copper  kettles  containing  several  gallons 
of  tea  for  the  dinner,  which  always  followed  the  Sunday  serv- 
ice. When  the  prayers  were  concluded,  the  chief's  son  took 
the  meat  from  the  kettle,  giving  the  choicest  pieces  to  the 
leaders  and  the  poorest  to  the  women.  We  usually  had  a  few 
fresh  caribou  tongues  each  Sunday,  but  on  this  occasion  there 
was  one  for  each  person,  and  a  ball  of  freshly  made  pemmican. 
The  meat  was  served  in  tin  or  birch  pans;  those  portioning  it 
out  took  some  time  to  make  up  their  minds  about  where  to  put 
certain  pieces  and  changed  them  from  one  plate  to  another 
several  times.  Grace  was  repeated  in  concert;  then  the  chief 
threw  a  tongue  and  a  small  ball  of  pemmican  into  the  fire  and 
the  feast  began;  as  the  meat  was  cut  from  the  bones  they  were 
cracked  for  the  marrow. 

Two  hours  later  we  had  a  second  meal  of  boiled  meat,  and 
as  I  had  given  them  a  little  flour  before  leaving  the  post,  a 
kettle  full  of  the  much-prized  rubaboo  was  also  prepared.  This 
was  made  by  cutting  up  a  quantity  of  back-fat  into  small  cubes 
and  boiling,  stirring  in  flour  to  thicken  it.     After  this  was  dis- 


fel 


THE   MUSK-OX    HUNT 


III 


If 


posed  of,  the  women  returned  to  the  other  lodges — within  a 
few  yards  of  each  other — to  dress  skins  and  perform  other  dis- 
agreeable labor  that  had  been  reserved  for  an  occasion  when 
the  lord  and  master  was  not  at  home.  The  men  spent  the 
afternoon  in  singing  hj'mns,  translated  into  the  Dog  Rib  tongue 
by  the  missionaries,  and  in  chanting  the  old  songs  of  their  own 
composition. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th  my  dogs  were  not  to  be  found 
at  feeding  time.  "Ti-ka  Us  mangcaient  vos  cJiiens,  as'soir"  said 
Johnnie.  "Yaz-zl  ti-ka  thlo"  "  said  the  others.  "The  wolves 
will  eat  your  dogs  to-night."  "Yes,  the  wolves  are  very  nu- 
merous." Without  the  dogs  I  could  do  nothing;  missing  this 
opportunity  to  secure  musk-ox,  I  must  remain  another  year  in 
the  country  or  go  back  to  Iowa  without  these,  the  most  difficult 
to  obtain  of  American  mammals.  After  a  long  search  the  next 
morning,  I  found  two  of  them  feeding  upon  the  reiK.nns  of  a 
caribou  six  miles  from  camp,  and  by  3  p.  m.,  just  as  I  was  con- 
cluding arrangements  to  buy  two  miserable  little  giddes,  the 
other  two  dogs  made  their  appearance.  I  felt  that  a  year  of  my 
life  had  been  restored.  An  hour  later  we  started  on  the  grand 
hunt,  in  which  only  the  best  men  engaged;  the  women  and 
children,  of  course,  remained  at  the  camps  in  the  woods.  There 
were  eleven  Indians  in  the  party,  with  two  lodges — Johnnie  in 
charge  of  mine  with  three  other  Indians. 

We  occupied  the  greater  part  of  the  second  day  in  traversing 
a  long  narrow  lake  called  Ten-en-di-a  Tooh.  In  the  afternoon, 
from  the  summit  of  a  lofty  granite  hill,  I  beheld  the  Barren 
Ground  for  the  first  time.  Behind  us  lay  the  rugged  hills,  their 
slopes  clothed  with  stunted  pines,  upon  which  a  bright  sun  was 
shining;  before  us  were  hills  still  more  precipitous  and  barren, 
everywhere  strewn  with  angular  blocks  of  granite — a  cold  and 
dreary  waste  from  which  a  snowstorm*  was  swiftly  approach- 
ing. Half-acre  patches  of  pines,  from  one  to  three  feet  high, 
still  appeared  for  a  few  miles,  but  our  lodge  poles  were  cut 
that  day;  these  were  trimmed  down  so  slender  that  they  would 
afford  little  fuel  for  the  return  trip;  each  sled  carried  four 
poles,  fourteen  feet  i  length.  The  country  was  so  rough  that 
we  only  traveled  thirty-five  miles. 

Before  starting  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day,  the  regular 
Sunday  service  was  performed,  as  it  was,  also,  on  the  two  fol- 


■li    -i 


..-,  -  a 


m 


112 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


lowing  Sundays  which  we  spent  in  the  Barren  Ground.  Not- 
withstanding the  need  of  haste,  and  the  discomfort  of  kt^  l^ng 
for  an  hour,  with  only  a  blanket  between  their  knees  Ui  he 
naked  rock  upon  which  our  lodge  was  always  pitched,  ihe 
Indians  repeated  the  appointed  prayers  in  concert,  and  sang 
two  or  three  hymns  responsively,  under  the  leadership  of 
Johnnie  Cohoyla.  All  remained  kneeling  with  their  faces 
toward  Rae  throughout  the  service. ^  The  service  was  marked 
by  a  seriousness  which  I  thought  resulted  more  from  a  super- 
stitious desire  to  propitiate  tht^  wrath  of  a  savage  storm  god 
than  from  a  feeling  of  reverence  toward  a  beneficent  Creator. 

We  encamped  that  night  in  a  little  clump  of  pines  on  tl  c 
Coppermine  River.  The  Dog  Ribs  called  this  stream  Tson 
Te.  It  takes  its  rise  in  a  large  lake,  called  Ek-a  Tooh,  which  is 
two  days'  journey  in  length.  This  was  the  last  outlier  of  the 
timbered  country  and  we  must  henceforth  carry  fuel  on  our 
sleds.  The  largest  of  the  trees  reached  a  height  of  twenty-five 
feet,  with  thick,  twisted  trunks.  We  left  the  Coppermine  with 
our  sleds  loaded  as  heavily  as  the  dogs  could  haul  with  wood 
which  we  had  cut  and  split  into  billets  of  convenient  size.  What 
a  luxury  a  good  oil  stove  would  have  been!  As  we  were  about 
to  start,  Jimmie,  who  was  leader  of  the  band,  and  by  far  the 
most  intelligent  man  among  them,  after  a  long  look  eastward, 
turned  to  me  and  said:  "E-ye  tet-tcin  tau-ti,  nit-zi  nit-tca  yaz-zi 
ed-sa."  "This  is  the  woodless  country  where  the  blizzards 
blow  and  it  is  always  cold."  Then  drawing  his  old  gray  blanket 
closer  about  him,  and  shouldering  his  double-barreled  smooth- 
bore encased  in  its  greasy  deerskin  gun-coat,  he  set  off  at  a 
rapid  pace,  the  seven  trains  falling  into  line  upon  the  track  of 
his  snow-shoes.  We  followed  the  course  of  a  small  stream 
called  Kwilond  Te  for  about  forty  miles,  until  we  reached  a 
lake  at  least  thirty  miles  in  length,  called  Yam-ba  Tooh. 

As  we  advanced  on  the  seventh  day,  the  hills  became  more 
rolling,  with  gravel  and  pebbles,  but  fewer  boulders.  Wher- 
ever the  wind  had  swept  the  surface  clear  of  snow  the  reindeer 
moss,  Cladotiia  rangiferina^  and  tufts  of  low  grass  appeared. 
Toward  evening  we  passed  a  few  old  musk-ox  tracks. 

1"  Les  sauvages  qui  restent  loin  de  I'dglise,  se  r^unissent  le  dimanche 
sur  le  mont  voisin  le  plus  dlevd  ils  s'orientent  le  mieux  possible,  se  tourn- 
ent  du  c6t^  ou  ils  saventqu'une  dglise  se  trouve,  el  chantent  des  cantiques 
ou  r^cii'"it  des  priferes."     Farand,  Dix-huit  ans  chez  les  Sauvages,  p.  198. 


' 


tm 


'.  ■-.  I 


THE    MUSK-OX    HUNT 


113 


' 


On  the  ninth  day  we  traversed  the  largest  lake  seen  north  of 
the  Great  Slave  Lake,  which  I  think  must  be  the  Rum  Lake  of 
Franklin;  it  was  called  Ko-a-ka-tcai-ti  b>'  my  companions. 
Away  toward  the  northern  end  of  the  lake,  four  or  five  peaks 
were  visible;  two  of  these  were  lofty  cones,  standing  pure 
white  in  their  snow  mantles;  identical  in  size  and  shape,  with 
almost  perpendicular  sides. 

We  crossed  two  gravel  ridges,  trending  southeast  and  north- 
west, and  again  encountered  the  hills  of  naked  granite,  strewn 
with  great  angular  boulders,  which  necessitated  constant  watch- 
fulness to  prevent  our  sleds  from  being  broken.  These  vehicles 
were  the  common  birch  flat  sleds  of  the  north,  fifteen  inches  in 
width  and  seven  feet  in  length.  They  soon  became  grooved 
from  end  to  end  by  the  sharp  points  of  rocks  l>ing  just  below 
the  surface  ol  the  snow,  which  plowed  across  the  bottom, 
ordinarily  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  made  the  sled  much  harder 
for  the  dogs  to  haul.  Still  Jimmie's  old  gra)'  blanket  led  the 
way,  straight  over  the  hills,  never  swerving  from  a  northeast 
course.  Sometimes  we  would  ascend  for  an  hour,  and  then 
go  pell-mell  down  a  steep  incline  for  two  or  three  hundred 
feet,  holding  back  our  sleos  with  all  our  strength,  yet  landing 
in  the  drifts  at  the  bcrttom,  with  the  sled-dog  dragging  under 
and  the  rest  of  the  team  tangled  in  the  harness. 

The  caribou  were  now  quite  abundant,  and  we  had  little  diffi- 
culty in  killing  enough  for  men  and  teams.  My  dogs  were  keen 
hunters  and  were  always  ready  to  dash  after  the  herds  of  gray- 
hued  caribou,  which  swept  over  the  snowy  slopes  like  the  shad- 
ows of  swift-flying  clouds.  The  only  way  that  I  could  restrain: 
them  was  to  overturn  the  sled.  In  the  evening,  when  they  were 
released  from  the  harness,  they  would  pursue  any  caribou  which 
might  appear  near  our  camp,  which  caused  me  considerable 
anxiety,  as  the  dismal  howl  of  the  never-distant  wolves  gave 
warning  of  their  certain  fate  if  they  left  the  camp.  One  of  the 
giddes  was  lost  in  this  way. 

On  the  tenth  day  Johnnie,  with  three  other  Indians  and  my- 
self, separated  from  the  others  and  turned  a  little  more  to  the 
northward.  We  were  now  in  what  the  Dog  Ribs  designated 
'^the  Musk-ox  Mountains.  After  running  about  ten  miles,  Esyuh, 
who  was  in  advance,  suddenly  turned  and  began  .0  make 
frantic  gestures.     Over  the  hills,  a  mile  away,  appeared  a  black 

8 


11^ 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


object  closcl}-  followed  by  another  and  another.  No  need  for 
him  to  urge  us  to  hasten  forward,  or  to  tell  us  what  those  huge 
rolling  balls  were.  "  Et-j'ir-rer!  ta-i  et-jir-rer!  "  Three  rnusk-ox, 
and  a  few  seconds  later  the  dogs  were  all  released  and  scatter- 
ing out  over  the  country,  some  in  pursuit,  some  on  the  back 
track,  and  other  trotting  complacently  along  at  their  master's 
heels.  The\-  were  not  well-trained  hunters;  at  sight  of  the 
musk-ox  even  the  threatening  whip  did  not  prevent  them  from 
breaking  into  howls,  and  man)'  of  them  were  too  spiritless  to  be 
of  any  assistance  in  stopping  the  game.  We  followed  as  fast 
as  we  could  run.  Then  it  was  that  I  discovered  the  advan- 
tage of  having  light  clolliing,  light  gun,  and  little  ammunition. 
The  dogs  soon  overtook  the  clums\-  musk-ox,  which  turned  to 
defend  themselves  as  from  a  pack  of  wolves.  The)-  were  not 
held  long  ai  a  time,  but  their  flight  was  so  hindered  that  they 
were  overtaken  by  m)'  companions,  who  had  distanced  me, 
after  a  run  of  three  miles. 

Our  lodge  was  set  up  that  night  beside  the  fallen  carcasses, 
and  our  teams  for  once  had  all  they  could  eat.  There  were 
several  hundred  pounds  of  meat  with  fat  two  inches  in  thick- 
ness on  the  backs,  meat  of  excellent  quality,  without  the  faint- 
est trace  of  musk  perceptible.  That  from  one  of  the  animals 
was  tender  and  as  well  flavored  as  any  venison  that  I  ever  ate. 
The  others  were  tough,  but  the  Dog  Ribs  preferred  tough  meat 
to  walking  a  dozen  yards  to  get  that  of  a  )ounger  animal. 
The  complexion  of  our  diet  was  now  changed;  before  we  had 
enjoyed  caribou  ribs  boiled,  garnished  with  handfuls  of  coarse 
gray  hairs;  now  we  had  boilec  ribs  of  musk-ox  with  hairs  of  a 
brownish  black. 

I  awakened  next  morning  with  a  sense  of  weight  upon  my 
blanket,  and  my  ears  were  greeted  with  a  rushin'j  roar  caused 
by  a  northeast  gale,  which  had  covered  ever)'thing  inside  our 
lodge,  to  a  depth  of  a  foot  or  more,  with  fine  flour-like  snow. 
It  was  impossible  to  face  such  a  blizzard  without  freezing  in  a 
few  minutes.  All  landmarks  were  obscured,  so  that  we  could 
not  continue  upon  our  course.  As  we  had  only  wood  enough 
for  the  time  that  we  expected  to  be  engaged  in  actual  travel, 
we  could  have  no  fire  on  days  like  this,  when  we  were  com- 
pelled to  "lay  to."  We  remained  in  our  blankets  until  midday, 
when  a  kettle  of  meat  was  (half)  boiled  and  we  turned  in  again. 


|v 


X 
—  -i 


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> 


itenfpNaAMStscVMil' 


THE    MUSK-OX    HUNT 


"5 


} 


In  the  evening  a  fire  about  the  size  of  a  cigar-box  was  kept  up 
long  enough  to  boil  a  kettle  of  tea,  one  cup  for  each  man;  we 
always  wanted  four!  No  meat  was  cooked,  for  our  appetites 
were  soon  satisfied  with  the  large  sticks  of  white  frozen  marrow 
from  the  long  bones  of  the  musk-ox. 

We  usually  drank  snow  water,  as  soon  as  snow  could  be 
melted,  after  the  camp  fire  was  started.  Each  individual  car- 
ried a  tin  plate  on  which  a  block  of  snow  was  placed  and  in- 
clined toward  the  fire.  As  the  lo'.er  side  became  saturated, 
we  drank  the  water  as  from  a  soggy  snowball,  and  so  avoided  the 
cinders  and  hairs  which  quickly  covered  everything  about  the 
diminutive  fire.  Before  leaving  the  woods  we  had  melted  snow 
by  fixing  large  blocks  on  the  ends  of  poles  before  the  long 
camp  fire;  a  steady  stream  soon  trickled  from  the  lower  end 
which  was  trimmed  to  a  point  by  a  few  strokes  of  a  knife. 

Throughout  the  trip  we  washed  our  hands  and  faces  daily  by 
melting  water  in  tin  plates  and  squirting  it,  a  la  Chinese  laun- 
dryman,  upon  our  hands.  The  whole  part)'  possessed  two 
pieces  of  soap  and  one  towel.  A  Dog  Rib  towel  is  never 
washed,  its  owner's  face  is  often  greased  and  the  color  of  the 
towel  is  affected  accordingly. 

Throughout  the  following  day  the  storm  continued  with  in- 
creased severity,  and  we  were  forced  to  lie  in  the  snow  another 
twenty-four  hours. 

My  dogs  never  came  inside  the  lodge  at  night,  but  coiled 
themselves  up  in  the  lee  of  the  lodge,  where  the  snow  soon 
drifted  over  them,  giving  warmth  and  shelter.  The  twelve 
Indian  curs  came  inside  as  soon  as  the  last  man  rolled  up  in  his 
blanket  at  night.  At  first  they  spent  a  few  minutes  fighting  over 
the  bones  about  the  fireplace,  then  they  rummaged  through 
everything  that  was  not  firmly  lashed  down.  As  a  dog  walked 
over  a  prostrate  form  the  muffled  "marche!"  or  "m'nitla!" 
would  quiet  them  for  an  instant,  when  their  snarling  and  snap- 
ping would  break  out  anew,  until  some  of  us  wovild  pick  up  a 
billet  of  wood  and  "pacify  them."  After  we  had  once  fallen 
into  the  sleep  of  exhaustion  we  were  seldom  awakened  by  their 
fighting  over  us.  In  the  morning  I  usually  found  two  or  three 
gidd^s  coiled  up  in  the  snow  upon  my  blanket;  the  heat  of  their 
bodies  melted  the  snow,  which  froze  as  soon  as  they  left  it  and 
made  my  scanty  bedding  hard  and  stiff. 


ii6 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


u 
I*  i 


After  sixty  hours  of  such  resting  we  were  quite  ready  to  move 
on,  as  the  thirteenth  day  dawned  bright  and  clear.  Early  in 
the  day  we  caught  sight  of  a  band  of  forty  musk-<">x  already  in 
flight  a  couple  of  miles  distant.  We  chased  them  six  miles, 
but  only  one  of  our  party  reached  them,  Wisho,  who  killed 
four.  We  were  very  much  fatigued  from  our  long  run,  and  cov- 
ered with  perspiration  whi  h  froze  on  our  outer  garments,  as 
we  walked  back  with  the  dogs  to  bring  up  the  sleds.  It  was 
after  nightfall  before  we  set  up  the  lodge  and  cold,  tired  and 
hungry,  sat  shivering  around  a  column  of  smoke  over  which 
hung  a  kettle  containing  both  meal  and  drink;  for  our  supply 
of  tea  was  exhausted  and  we  had  to  quench  our  thirst  with  the 
greasy  bouillon  or  "tewoh  "  in  which  the  meat  was  boiled. 

The  temperature  was  falling  rapidly,  giving  us  some  concern 
about  Johnnie  Cohoyla,  who  had  not  returned.  The  next  morn- 
ing I  was  awakened  b)'  the  monotonous  wailing  of  his  brother, 
Esyuh,  who  was  chanting  the  virtues  of  the  lost  reprobate,  and 
entreating  the  fates  in  general,  and  the  North  Wind  in  particu- 
lar, to  spare  him. 

"Tin-neh  hu-le"— "a  man  is  lost!" 

The  Dog  Ribs  repeated  the  phrase  with  significant  glances  at 
me,  as  if  this  "Mo-la"  accompanying  them  had  offended  the 
Great  Spirit,  so  that  he  had  wreaked  his  vengeance  upon  the 
man  who  had  allowed  me  to  enter  the  Dog  Rib  hunting  ground. 
A  terrific  gale  prevented  us  from  searching  for  the  lost  man; 
we  could  only  spend  the  day  in  our  blankets  while  the  snow 
drifted  in  and  over  all.  That  was  one  of  the  most  miserable 
days  I  ever  spent.  I  had  tried  twice  to  run  with  the  Indians, 
and  failed  to  reach  the  musk-ox,  and  there  seemed  to  be  no 
immediate  prospect  of  my  getting  any.  The  musk-ox  were  not 
numerous  they  said,  and  our  wood  might  fail  before  we  secured 
any  more.  Johnnie  must  have  perished,  as  no  human  being 
could  live  through  a  night  of  such  storm  without  protection, 
and  it  was  thirty-six  hours  before  we  could  search  for  him.  We 
were  shivering  in  our  blankets,  even  the  Indians  saying,  "  Ed-sa, 
yaz-zi  ed-sa" — "it  is  cold,  very  cold." 

The  next  morning  proved  to  be  calm,  and  we  set  off  in  search 
of  Johnnie.  I  had  as  great  difficulty  to  keep  my  cheeks  from 
freezing  as  at  any  time  during  the  winter,  though  thei "  was 
scarcely  any  wind  blowing. 


I> 


{ 


i 


•  'VV'  ■  ■»;w«!3w^it'TJ5r' 


i 


THE   MUSK-OX    HUNT 


117 


f> 


/ 


After  running  about  ten  miles,  I  was  recalled  by  the  signal- 
ing of  another  searcher.  Johnnie  had  been  found  by  his 
brother,  safely  and  snugly  rolled  up  in  a  couple  of  musk-ox 
skins  which  he  had  secured,  where  he  had  been  warmer  than  if 
in  the  lodge,  and  with  plenty  of  frozen  marrow  to  eat  he  had 
been  quite  comfortable. 

On  the  sixteenth  day  we  continued  the  journey  northward. 
With  the  field  glass  I  discovered  a  band  of  fourteen  musk-ox 
on  the  summit  of  a  high  hill,  so  far  away  that  it  was  impossible 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  surrounding  boulders  with  the 
unaided  eye.  In  a  couple  of  hours  we  were  within  half  a  mile 
of  them,  and  released  the  dogs,  which  soon  disappeared  over 
an  intervening  ridge.  My  companions  had  concluded,  from 
the  way  that  I  had  run,  or  failed  to  run,  on  the  two  previous 
occasions,  that  I  could  not  run  very  far,  and  that  their  best  plan 
to  keep  me  from  bring  ing  a  magazine  gun  into  competition  with 
their  muzzle-loaders,  tvas  to  give  the  musk-ox  time  to  get  far 
enough  away  so  thut  they  could  "  plant  "  me  in  the  race.  I  had 
prepared  for  this  occasion  by  taking  off  some  of  my  clothing, 
and  only  carrying  the  ammunition  actually  required,  so  that 
when  they  did  begin  tc  run  at  a  swift  pace  my  snow-shoes 
clanked  close  beside  them. 

We  soon  came  upon  eleven  of  the  musk-ox  standing  at  bay 
in  two  little  clusters,  hardly  lowering  their  heads  at  the  dogs, 
whose  ardor  had  been  cooled  by  the  statue-like  immobility  of 
the  noble  animals.  Their  robes  were  in  prime  condition,  the 
long  hair  and  heavy  erect  mane  gave  them  an  imposing  appear- 
ance. To  kill  them  was  simple  butchery,  yet  I  had  no  choice 
but  to  fire  as  rapidly  as  possible  and  get  my  share  of  them,  as 
they  were  all  doomed  anyway. 

On  leaving  Rae,  Johnnie  had  agreed  to  assist  me  in  skinning 
the  game  killed;  he  now  found  that  his  own  affairs  would  require 
all  his  attention.  Esyuh  helped  me  to  skin  two,  while  I  finished 
the  third  by  moonlight,  freezing  my  fingers  in  the  operation. 
He  afterward  demanded  seventy  skins,  thirty-five  dollars — for 
his  labor. 

It  was  impossible  to  skin  the  heads  in  the  darkness.  I 
wrapped  the  skins  around  them  so  that  they  would  not  freeze 
during  the  night.  Another  blizzard  was  raging  in  the  morning, 
which    prevented  moving,  but  enabled    me   to  attend  to  the 


k,-.''! 


ii8 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


heads,  which  had  not  frozen  very  much;  but  the  skins  around 
them  were  stiff  and  solid, so  that  it  was  impossible  to  fold  them 
up  for  transportation. 

I  spent  the  day  sawing  the  skulls  in  halves,  so  that  they  might 
be  loaded  on  the  sled,  sitting  beside  a  little  smoke  arising  from 
the  bones  of  the  musk-ox  which  contained  enough  grease  to 
burn,  though  not  very  readily.  Our  nres  were  started  with 
birch  bark,  a  small  roll  being  carried  by  each  man  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  pine  wood  was  cut  in  sticks  a  foot  in  length  and 
finely  split,  then  built  up  in  a  "  log  cabin  "  or  a  cone.  Each  man 
took  his  turn  blowing  to  keep  it  alight,  as  the  wood  was  not  dry 
and  the  quantity  so  small  that  it  required  constant  attention. 

We  were  destined  to  spend  the  next  day  in  the  blankets,  with 
the  clouds  of  powdery  snow  settling  down  through  the  smoke- 
hole  of  our  lodge  upon  us.  We  had  had  but  two  meals  a  day 
since  leaving  the  Coppe»-mine,  ^nd  when  lying  storm  bound  we 
ate  but  one.  When  traveling,  although  we  were  voraciously 
hungry  before  nightfall,  it  was  thirst  which  t'-oubled  us  the 
most,  as  we  were  running  most  of  the  time. 

Early  on  the  nineteenth  day  we  sighted  musk-ox  while  yet  a 
long  distance  from  them.  While  ascending  a  steep  hill  I  was 
dela)ed  by  my  sled  sinking  in  the  soft  snow  until  the  great 
awkward  balls  into  which  the  skins  were  frozen,  projecting  at 
the  sides,  made  the  load  drag  heavily.  When  I  reached  the  top 
the  others  were  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance,  and  instead  of 
waiting  for  me  to  come  up,  they  had  released  their  dogs  and 
were  likely  to  kill  every  musk-ox  before  I  could  reach  them. 
Johnnie,  remembering  the  havoc  which  mj'  Winchester  was 
liable  to  make  in  his  fur  returns,  thought  best  to  "suspend  the 
rules"  of  the  hunting  code,  and  let  me  buy  of  them  if  I  wanted 
any  musk-ox.  Without  releasing  my  dogs,  which  were  wildly 
tugging  at  their  collars,  I  started  forward  with  little  ho])<  s  of 
killing  any  musk-ox,  but  in  excellent  humor  for  slaughtering  a 
few  Dog  Ribs.  Fortune,  however,  smiled  upon  me.  Four  bulls 
of  the  largest  size  broke  away  together,  without  a  dog  in  pur- 
suit, and  came  within  range.  This  was  not  so  much  like  butch- 
ering them;  they  were  running  much  faster  than  I  could  on 
snow-shoes  and  had  a  chance  for  their  lives.  I  killed  two  as 
they  passed  me  about  a  hundred  yards  distant,  and  wounded  the 
others  so  that  they  were  bagged  after  a  run  of  half  a  mile.     I 


i 


■'wieifmaimimin-^jxK-!-'!': 


J 


THE   MUSK-OX    HUNT 


119 


{ 


had  now  killed  seven  musk-ox,  and  already  had  as  many  on 
my  sled  as  the  Hudson's  Bay  people  had  told  me  it  was  possi- 
ble to  haul.  When  Johnnie  returned  from  chasing  the  scat- 
tered herd,  I  stated  my  plain  and  unbiassed  opinion  of  him  in 
all  the  Red  River  French  and  Dog  Rib  that  I  could  command. 
His  deprecatory  "yaz-zi"  changed  to  a  sheepish  "ne-zi" — good 
— when  I  informed  him  that  I  had  secured  all  the  robes  that 
I  wanted.  He  refused  to  carry  a  skeleton  for  me  at  any  price, 
not  even  a  head  or  half  a  split  skull  would  he  carry,  though 
I  gave  him  two  robes  for  carrying  back  the  lodge. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  camp;  the  others  were  engaged  in 
skinning  the  animals  killed,  and  in  boiling  bones  for  grease  to 
eat  on  the  return  trip.  I  thus  had  an  opportunity'  to  prepare  the 
two  skulls  for  transportation. 

On  the  twenty-first  day  of  the  hunt  we  started  homeward — 
the  turning  point  of  the  expedition.  We  were  all  heavily 
loaded  with  the  loose,  bulky  skins.  The  sleds  were  frequently 
overturned,  and  if  our  dogs  had  not  been  in  unusually  good  con- 
dition would  never  have  been  brought  out  at  all.  My  load 
extended  over  both  ends  of  the  sled,  and  was  nearly  as  high  as 
my  shoulders.  With  the  four  lodge-poles  on  the  top,  it  was 
no  easy  matter  to  keep  everything  lashed  firmly. 

On  the  twenty-third  day  a  blinding  snowstorm  prevented 
moving  before  midda}',  when  we  pushed  on  through  the  soft 
snow  without  meat  for  ourselves  or  the  dogs.  On  the  return 
trip  we  only  secured  five  caribou,  which  was  less  than  half 
rations  for  five  men  and  sixteen  dogs. 

We  were  now  burning  our  lodge- poles  for  fuel;  on  the  night 
of  the  twenty-fifth  day  the  lodge  was  set  up  for  the  last  time, 
with  two  poles  only,  and  with  our  sled  lines,  made  fast  ^o  the 
circle  of  sleds,  which  were  alwa\s  enclosed,  gave  sufficient  sup- 
port. We  started  at  6  A.  M.,  determined  to  reach  the  Copper- 
mine, some  fift)'  miles  distant,  before  camping.  In  the  after- 
noon we  came  upon  a  lotlge-pole,  standing  beside  a  sled  track 
which  we  had  followed  all  day,  upon  which  a  line  written  in  the 
syllabic  characters  informed  us  that  Jimmie's  party  was  to 
reach  the  woods  that  evening  also. 

At  half  past  ten,  after  sixteen  and  a  half  hours  of  continuous 
traveling,  we  reached  the  little  grove  of  pines,  which  seemed 
more  welcome  than  an)'  harbor  to  the  storm-tossed  sailor.     We 


I20 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


were  all  too  much  fatigued  to  cut  much  brush,  and  fell  asleep 
in  a  little  hole  scooped  in  the  snow,  before  a  few  logs  which 
made  such  an  uncomfortably  hot  fire  that  we  did  not  enjoy  it 
as  we  had  anticipated.  But  we  would  no  longer  have  to  sleep 
upon  snow  or  flat  rocks,  we  would  not  have  to  sleep  with  our 
moccasins  and  frozen  blanket  footings  next  our  bodies  to  dry 
them,  and  at  noonda\'  we  could  have  tewoh  to  quench  our  thirst. 

After  five  hours'  rest  wj  were  awakened  by  Jimmie,  who 
reminded  us  that  there  was  nothing  to  eat,  and  that  we  must 
push  rapidly  on.  My  load  weighed  over  five  hundred  pounds, 
and  the  dogs  were  getting  pitifully  weak.  I  pushed  on  the 
sled  and  carried  a  load  on  my  back  to  assist  them.  We  were 
three  days  in  reaching  the  camps.  We  only  rested  five  hours 
at  night  and  then  hurried  on  again,  as  the  teams  were  failing 
rapidly  for  wan'i  of  food.  On  the  twenty-eighth  day  the  first 
signs  of  a  thaw  appeared;  the  snow  eoftened  just  enough  to 
cause  it  to  stick  to  our  snow-shoes,  so  that  it  made  them  heavy 
to  carry,  and,  worse  still,  lumps  of  ice  would  accumulate  every 
few  minutes  which  soon  blistered  the  bottoms  of  our  feet  over 
the  entire  surface. 

On  the  last  two  days  before  reaching  the  camps  the  heavy 
snow-shoes  caused  the  mal  de  racquctte  \.o  reappear,  which  made 
it  simply  torture  to  move;  yet  we  were  now  in  the  woods, 
where  the  soft  snow  required  heavier  work  in  the  management 
of  the  sleds. 

At  two  in  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-ninth  day  we  reached 
the  vicinity  of  the  camping  place  from  which  we  had  started, 
and  fired  several  rounds  to  announce  our  arrival.'  A  few 
minutes  later  we  dashed  into — a  deserted  camp.  The  lodges 
were  gone,  the  snow  had  drifted  over  their  sites.  Their  skele- 
ton poles  offered  a  dreary  welcome  to  us  as,  tired,  hungry,  and 
disappointed,  we  turned  awaj-  in  no  pleasant  humor  to  follow 
the  track  along  which  a  line  of  slanting  poles  indicated  the 
direction  of  departure.  We  were  upon  an  old,  hard  track  from 
which  the  sled  frequently  overturned  into  the  soft  snow  on 

»  The  Jndians  about  the  Great  Slave  Lake  still  follow  the  custom  of  fir- 
ing their  guns  at  the  time  of  arrival  at,  or  at  departure  from,  the  trading  sta- 
tions, or  their  own  larger  camps  as  in  this  instance.  I  witnessed  this  cere- 
mony several  times  at  both  Rae  and  Resolution.  Compare  Mackenzie, 
"We  were  saluted  at  our  departure  with  some  vollies  of  small  arms,  which 
we  returned."    yournul,  p.  i8. 


f 


■"■WilFWmJWIFf!*^^ 


"Tw^iipf* 


THE   MUSK-OX    HUNT 


121 


l\. 


^. 


either  side,  and  my  dogs  were  about  giving  up  altogether.  A 
great  deal  more  powder  was  burned  as  we  approached  the 
camps,  three  hours  later.  As  I  passed  one  of  the  first  lodges 
my  sled  swayed  off  the  track  and  caught  against  a  tree,  much 
to  the  amusement  of  a  couple  of  young  women  who,  after 
watching  my  ^ittempts  to  right  it,  remarked,  "  Yaz-zi  Mo-la 
nat-stith-li" — "the  white  man  is  weak,  indeed."  One  of  them 
grasped  the  sled  line  to  show  me  how  to  straighten  up  a  load, 
and  tugged  and  hauled  and  tugged  again  without  producing 
the  slightest  effect.  I  am  afraid  that  I  laughed  very  ungal- 
lantlyas  the  discomfited  maiden  fled  to  the  shelter  of  the  lodge. 
Mrs.  Jirnmie  came  to  me  with  a  vciy  cordial  greeting,  exclaim- 
ing,''Merci!  Merci — tco!  Ne-zi  et-jir-rer-ka!" — "Thanks,  big 
thanks,  for  the  good  musk-ox  hunt!"  evidently  ascribing  our 
success,  in  a  measure,  to  my  presence.  We  had  been  absent 
twenty-eight  days  from  the  camps,  twenty-two  of  which  were 
spent  beyond  the  Coppermine  River. 

There  was  very  little  meat  in  the  lodges  and  the  caribou 
were  moving  out  into  the  Barren  Ground,  so  that  the  Indians 
must  lead  a  more  than  usually  precarious  existence  for  the 
next  two  months  until  they  could  follow  the  caribou  by  water. 
For  three  days  they  were  quite  content  to  lie  about  the  camp, 
feasting  upon  the  store  which  still  remained  of  dried  meat  and 
grease.  The)' would  not  sell  me  any  of  this,  though  I  needed  a 
supply  very  much  for  my  journey  down  the  Mackenzie. 

I  had  left  a  small  bag  of  articles  in  Johnnie's  lodge,  during 
the  hunt,  which  they  had  opened  and  discovered  that  it  con- 
tained a  few  ounces  of  compressed  tea  that  I  had  reserved  for 
the  trip  to  Rae.  They  did  not  appropriate  the  tea,  but  the 
next  day  after  our  return  they  began  to  clamor  for  it  to  make 
tea  for  a  Sunday  feast.  I  knew  that  they  had  several  pounds 
of  tea,  and  I  had  no  intention  of  throwing  away  the  only  com- 
fort possible  on  what  I  knew  would  be  a  trying  journej'.  First 
Johnnie,  and  then  then  the  whole  band,  came  to  me  with  smiles, 
whines,  and  finally  threats.  Johnnie  boiled  a  large  kettle  of 
water  and  placed  it  before  me  with  an  insolent  demand  for 
"lee  tea."  I  could  contain  myself  no  longer.  I  felt  dependent 
on  them  to  guide  me  to  the  post,  which  it  was  utterly  impos- 
sible for  me  to  reach,  through  two  hundn  d  miles  of  trackless 
forest  with  my  load  of  musk-ox,  without  their  assistance;  but 


in  ; 


122 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


three  days  ot  nagging,  culminating  in  that  defiant  act,  finally 
overcame  my  power  of  self-restraint  and  I  turned  loose  my  wrath 
upon  Mr.  Cohoyla  with  a  vehemence  which  seemed  to  have  a 
salutary  effect.  I  believe  that  I  grew  rather  eloquent  in  the 
jargon  of  Dog  Rib  and  Red  River  French  which  I  employed, 
pieced  out  with  gestures  and  emphatic,  though  to  them  unin- 
telligible, English. 

On  the  thirtieth  day  of  April,  I  started  for  Rae  accoTipanied 
by  three  Indians  with  two  empty  sleds,  on  which  they  refused 
to  haul  any  of  my  load,  though  I  offered  to  pay  them  well; 
they  were  still  sulk)'  about  the  tea.  Johnnie  came  to  me  be- 
fore I  started  with  a  long  list  of  the  goods  from  the  store  that 
he  wished  as  a  reward  for  his  fidelity!  Jimmie  invited  me  to  a 
dinner  of  tongues  and  pemmican  and  seemed  anxious  to  atone 
for  the  insolence  of  the  others.  I  could  understand  him  much 
better  when  conversing,  with  the  few  words  of  his  language 
which  I  had  acquired,  assisted  by  gestures,  than  I  could  Johnnie 
with  the  aid  of  his  French. 

We  followed  the  course  of  the  Jackfish  River  toward  the 
southwest,  crossing  short  portages  from  lake  tc  lake.  The 
descent  at  the  portages  was  abrupt  and  of  considerable  extent; 
we  must  have  been  many  hundred  feet  above  the  Great  Slave 
Lake  when  we  started.  The  abundance  of  stumps  at  the  camp- 
ing places  showed  that  we  were  following  one  of  the  great 
highways,  which  is  used  in  both  summer  and  winter  in  traveling 
to  and  from  the  Barren  Ground. 

I  had  nothing  but  dried  meat  to  eat  or  to  feed  my  dogs.  I 
was  truly  ashamed  to  offer  that  leathery  "  scrap  "  to  my  team 
which  was  straining  to  the  utmost  limit  of  its  strength.  Though 
they  could  gulp  down  a  three-pound  frozen  fish  in  a  few  seconds,, 
my  dogs  could  scarcely  eat  the  dried  meat  which  I  cut  in  small 
pieces  for  them. 

On  the  fourth  day  it  became  much  warmer  and  the  crust 
frequently  gave  way  beneath  the  dogs,  the  sled,  and  my  own 
snow-shoes.  The  sled  sometimes  rolled  over  in  the  soft  snow 
a  dozen  times  in  traveling  a  hundred  yards.  Strange  to  say, 
the  ma/  dc  racqiictte,  which  had  made  me  miserable  for  the  pre- 
ceding week,  left  me  that  morning  or  I  should  not  have  been 
able  to  travel  all.  The  Indians  urged  me  to  employ  their 
remedy  for  this  painful  malady,  which  I  did  to  please  them.. 


r^-^I^IHWlilliiW  ^*0mm'^)m>i0if>*ill*f'^t"'''''''--- 


THE    MUSK-OX   HUNT 


123 


They  held  a  split  stick  over  the  affected  ankle  while  a  second 
stick  was  turned  through  one  revolution,  tightly  squeezed  in  the 
split.  They  insisted  that  I  should  do  this  for  myself  which 
seemed  to  afford  them  great  satisfaction,  especially  as  the  pain 
left  me  soon  afterward. 

On  the  fifth  day  we  traveled  eighteen  hours  and  reached  Rae 
after  one  of  the  hardest  day's  travel  of  the  whole  trip.  The 
snow  was  rapidly  melting,  enabling  us  to  find  drinking  water  on 
the  ice  beneath  the  snow  crust,  through  which  we  frequently 
broke  with  our  snow-shoes. 

As  my  weary  dogs  crept  over  the  hill  into  Rae  and  dragged 
the  load  of  five  complete  skins  and  heads  of  musk-ox  in  front 
of  the  door  which  they  had  left  two  months  before,  they  sank 
down  utterly  worn  out.  I  lifted  them  out  of  the  harness  and 
prepared  my  evening  meal  with  slow  and  exhausted  movements, 
but  sustained  by  a  devout  feeling  of  thankfilness  that  the  jour- 
ney had  been  successful. 

I  had  worn  goggles  constantly  to  avoid  snow-blindness, 
which  causes  great  suffering  among  those  natives  who  are  not 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  protection  of  some  sort  for  their  eyes. 
Wooden  protectors,  such  as  are  used  by  the  Eskimos,  are  un- 
known by  the  Dog  Ribs.  Goggles  of  smoked,  blue,  or  green 
glass  are  in  demand,  though  enough  for  all  have  never  been 
brought  in  by  the  traders.  The  smoked  glass  is  the  best.  Veil- 
ing is  used  when  glasses  are  not  to  be  had.  I  never  heard  of 
a  Dog  Rib  blackening  his  face  to  prevent  snow-blindness. 
While  in  the  Winnipeg  region  I  saw  a  pair  of  "horsehair  gog- 
gles," which  were  superior  to  any  other  protectors  for  the  eyes 
that  I  ever  met  with.  They  were  made  entirely  of  hair,  woven 
in  a  loose  mesh,  convex  over  the  eyes.  I  should  advise  any- 
one intending  to  travel  in  the  North  to  provide  himself  with 
them,  in  preference  to  glass  which  is  coated  with  frost  at  every 
change  of  temperature,  is  always  cold  to  the  face  and  liable  to 
be  broken. 

From  the  experience  gained  during  that  eight  hundred-mile 
trip,  and  fiom  conversation  with  Mr.  Mackinlay,  at  Resolution, 
I  am  satisfied  that  Resolution  is  a  much  better  post  from  which 
to  hunt  musk-ox  than  Rae.  The  Dog  Ribs  now  trade  at  both 
stations,  and  Beniah,o'ie  of  the  most  enterprising  of  that  tribe, 
for  the  last  five  years   has  killed  musk-ox  v/ithin  two  days' 


U''. 


t'i  •■  f 


i 

I 


124 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


travel  of  the  woods  at  the  east  end  of  the  lake,  beyond  the  ter- 
ritory occupied  by  the  Yellow  Knives.^  The  distance  to  be 
traveled  from  Rae  becomes  greater  each  year,  and  the  post 
itself  is  not  now  so  well  supplied  with  provisions  or  with  goods 
with  which  to  hire  native  assistants. 

My  advice  to  spurtsmen  is  to  keep  out  of  the  musk-ox 
country,  if  life  and  health  are  valued.  To  be  sure  there  is  a  sat- 
isfaction in  overcoming  the  obstacles  which  must  be  encoun- 
tered before  the  musk-ox  are  reached,  but  at  the  end,  when  you 
are  within  rifle-shot  of  the  long-sought  game,  you  find  after  all 
that  it  is  a  cruel  butchery;  you  do  not  feel  the  triumphant 
exhilaration  which  results  from  successfully  pursuing  the  noble 
moose  or  elk;  in  fact  you  can  duplicate  the  sensation  felt  on 
such  an  occasion,  at  far  less  expense  and  less  hardship,  by  hir- 
ing a  pack  of  hungry  curs  for  an  afternoon,  and  turning  them 
into  your  neighbor's  sheep  pasture.  When  they  h.  "e  rounded 
up  the  flock,  you  can  take  your  stand  at  a  safe  distance  and 
shoot  down  the  sheep!     The  musk-ox  is  not  a  "  sporty  "  animal. 

During  my  absence  the  incoming  packet  had  arrived,  with  but 
one  letter  for  me.  Fortunately  this  one  was  from  Professor 
Nutting,  who  approved  of  a  plan  which  I  had  formed  for  the 
summer's  campaign  and  sent  out  by  the  December  mails. 

I  had  intended  to  remain  another  winter  in  the  country  if  I 
failed  to  get  the  musk-ox,  and  then  to  return  by  the  route  trav- 
ersed in  going  North.  As  the  hunt  had  been  successful  I  was 
ready  to  return,  after  I  had  employed  my  time  to  the  best 
advantage,  in  collecting  ornithological  specimens  during  the 
short  summer. 

Mr.  Hodgson  gave  such  glowing  accounts  of  the  abundance 
of  game,  birds,  and  other  desirable  specimens  near  the  Arctic 
coast  that  I  wished  to  visit  the  region  even  though  I  would  not 
have  time  to  make  a  large  collection. 

*  Compare  Pike,  Barren  Ground,  p.  274,  who  wrote  before  Beniah  entered 
this  new  territory.  "  I  am  not  quite  sure  that  Fort  Resolution  is  the  best 
point  to  start  from.  Fort  Rae,  on  the  north  arm  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake, 
lies  nearer  the  Barren  Ground,  and  the  Dog  Ribs  3rc  said  to  be  more 
amenable  .0  reason  than  the  Yellow  Knives,  while  the  distance  to  travel 
through  a  woodless  country  is  shorter." 


I 


m- 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DOWN  THE  MACKENZIE 

A  FEW  travelers  have  descended  the  Mackenzie  to  McPher- 
son,  crossed  the  mountains  bj-  the  Hudson's  Baj-  Company's 
trail  to  Fort  Yukon,  and  then  descended  the  Yukon  River  to 
St.  Michaels.  No  one  had  ever  descended  the  Mackenzie  to  i*^ 
mouth,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  civilization  around  Alaska. 
I  learned  that  American  whalers  were  wintering  at  Herschel 
Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  and  that  some  of  the 
vessels  would  return  to  San  Francisco  at  the  end  of  the  season. 
I  could  not  profitably  occupy  the  summer  at  Rae,  nor  would  I 
have  time  to  descend  the  Mackenzie  and  return  home  by  open 
water  over  the  same  route.  It  seemed  possible  to  reach  the 
whalers  and  accompany  them  to  San  Francisco.  The  time  and 
money  needed  would  l  about  equal  to  that  spent  in  returning 
b)'  way  of  Edmonton,  but  I  would  have  the  advantage  of  explor- 
ing two  thousand  miles  of  new  territory,  which  decided  me  to 
make  the  attempt. 

The  "Wrigley"  is  hauled  ashore  for  the  winter  near  Provi- 
dence whence  she  leaves,  as  soon  as  the  river  opens,  for  Good 
Hope.  If  I  could  reach  Providence  before  the  steamer  was 
launched  and  started  on  her  northward  trip,  I  could  save  a 
month's  time  in  descending  the  river,  and  might  reach  Herschel 
Island  before  the  whalers  left  their  winter  quarters. 

It  was  reported  that  a  whaleboat  would  be  sent  up  to  Mc- 
Pherson  to  engage  Indians  for  the  summer's  whaling.  If  I  did 
did  not  meet  this  it  was  very  uncertain  whether  or  not  I  could 
hire  Indians  to  accompany  me  from  ':he  last  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  post  to  the  island.  The  musk-ox  skins  would 
require  daily  attention  in  drying  for  several  weeks,  but  Mr. 
Hodgson  volunteered  to  care  for  them  until  they  could  be  sent 
out  by  the  "Wrigley,"  two  months  later.     Under  his  direction 

125 


t             , 

■f  ■ 

1 

!;■ 

126 

1 

they 

EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


the}'  were  dried  and  careful!}-  packed.  He  had  secured  a  year's 
furlough  and  was  "  going  out  to  Red  River,"  so  that  he  accompa- 
nied the  '.-oUection  as  far  as  Edmonton.  He  also  packed  some 
specimens  which  I  had  loft  at  Smith,  and  looked  after  the  cases, 
while  ascending  the  Athabasca,  where  accidents  frequently 
occur  in  the  rapids.  With  the  collection  off  my  hands,  I  felt 
free  to  make  the  attempt  to  reach  the  whalera.  and  if  I  failed 
and  had  to  spend  the  next  winter  s.iow-shoeing  my  way  to  Ed- 
monton, I  could  stop  at  Fort  Smith  and  try  again  for  buffaloes. 

During  the  five  da}'s  which  I  spent  at  the  post,  I  was  busily 
occupied  in  caring  for  the  large  skins,  and  in  packing  the 
remainder  of  the  collection.  It  was  too  late  in  the  season  to 
travel  over  the  portage  trail  to  Providence,  which  I  had  fol- 
lowed in  the  autumn,  as  the  snow  was  rapidly  melting  in  the 
bush.  I  intended,  therefore,  to  follow  the  lake  shore  to  the 
Big  Island  fishery  and  there  to  hire  a  canoe  of  the  metis  or 
Indians  in  which  to  descend  the  Mackenzie  to  Providence,  forty 
miles  below  the  island.  I  was  assured  that  the  river  would  be 
breaking  up,  but  that  I  need  not  be  delayed,  as  there  would 
certainly  be  a  number  of  canoes  at  Bi%'  Island  and  I  need  antici- 
pate no  difficulty  in  engaging  one  of  them  with  men  to  paddle  it. 

To  avoid  the  expense  of  an  extra  train  and  two  men,  I  trav- 
eled alone.  I  left  the;  post  late  on  the  loth  of  May,  with  a 
heavy  load,  which  included  fish  for  the  dogs  for  five  nights,  as 
I  expected  to  reach  Big  Island  in  six  days. 

After  two  hours'  traveling,  the  snow  had  thawed  so  that  the 
dogs  could  not  haul  at  all.  and  I  was  forced  to  lie  by  until  a 
crust  har"  formed  in  the  evening,  when  I  pushec  on  all  night. 

On  tie  nth  I  heard  the  ducks  and  geese  in  the  small  lakes 
near  Trout  Rock,  where  a  little  open  water  covered  the  ice.  I 
camped  at  9  a.  m.  on  the  nth,  and  set  out  in  the  evening  at  7, 
though  the  snow  was  still  soft.  I  soon  encountered  a  large 
cr.ick  which  I  followed  for  several  miles  before  I  found  a  safe 
crossing  place.  The  sun  remained  below  the  horizon  about  six 
hours,  a  part  of  which  time  it  was  rather  dark  to  find  my  way 
over  an  unknown  and  trackless  route. 

Hauling  dogs,  however  well  trained  they  may  be,  are  accus- 
tomed to  follow  either  a  beaten  track  or  a  man  running  before 
them.  A  team,  driven  alone,  that  seems  to  he  exhausted  and 
which  the  severest  whipping  will  not   force  any  farther,  will 


DOWN    THE    MACKENZIE 


127 


start  off  at  a  brisk  trot  and  strain  at  their  collars  to  keep  up  if 
someone  runs  before.  I  had  to  direct  mine  with  the  whip  pnd 
voice  alone.  They  were  too  heavily  loaded  to  keep  moving  if 
I  went  before  them. 

In  starting  out  in  the  evening,  I  had  to  wade  through  abroad 
strip  of  slush,  lying  just  outside  the  heavy  shore  drifts.  The 
water  passed  through  my  moccasins  as  easily  as  through  a  blot- 
ter; these  and  the  thick  foot  wrappings  soon  froze  stiff,  as  it 
became  colder,  making  them  heavy  and  anything  but  warm.  I 
broke  through  the  crust  into  the  water  standing  on  the  ice  t<^o 
often  to  keep  them  dry  by  changing.  I  found  it  necessary  to 
wear  more  on  my  feet  than  in  midwinter  to  avoid  blistering 
them.  The  snow-shoes  were  kept  continually  wet  and  wore 
rapidly  away  upon  the  sharp  needles  of  the  crust,  so  that  I  had 
to  renew  the  foot-lacing  dail>'.  On  the  12th  I  camped  upon  a 
little  patch  of  bare  sand,  the  first  camp  not  made  in  the  snow 
since  November.  That  day  the  ring-billed  gulls  were  seen, 
though  there  was  as  yet  no  open  water  except  upon  the  surface 
of  the  ice. 

I  lost  some  time  at  the  Big  Slavey  Point,  in  skirting  two  deep 
bays,  looking  for  a  passage  behind  the  little  group  of  four 
islands,  which  I  found  later  to  lie  so  far  off  shore  that  no  mis- 
take need  have  been  made. 

On  the  14th  a  dense  fog  compelled  me  to  follow  the  shore  of 
the  broad  bay  west  of  the  point,  where  I  could  have  saved  sev- 
eral miles  by  a  traverse. 

During  the  night  of  the  15th  a  rain  fell  which  prevented  the 
formation  of  a  crust  and  made  the  traveling  very  slow  and 
fatiguing.  I  fed  the  dogs  the  last  fish  that  niglit,  and,  instead 
of  sleeping  next  day,  pushed  on  until  after  midnight  in  the 
hope  of  reaching  the  Big  Island  fishery.  I  started  in  the  even- 
ing across  a  traverse,  of  perhaps  ten  miles,  to  the  outlet  of  the 
lake  where  the  dark  line  of  trees  was  barely  visible  on  the 
shores  of  the  bay,  which  I  was  crossing,  lay  below  the  northern 
horizon.  There  were  no  landmarks  whatever  to  guide  me  to 
the  fishery,  and,  to  add  to  the  difficulty,  the  low  strip  of  timber 
became  distorted  by  mirage  until  it  seemed  to  be  a  chain  of 
distant  mountains,  then  three  lines  of  coast  appeared  one  above 
another.  These  merged  into  one  again,  still  slowly  shifting 
until  obscured  by  the  darkness.     The  point  which  I  had  left 


128 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


soon  began  to  dance  in  an  uncanny  fashion,  so  that  I  had  to 
direct  my  course  by  the  stars.  The  snow  was  deep  and  soft 
and  the  dogs  were  nearly  worn  out,  so  that  it  was  very  late 
when  I  approached  the  shore  closely  enough  to  see  the  dark 
looming  of  spruce  trees  a  few  hundred  yards  in  advance.  A 
large  crack,  with  open  water  extending  across  my  course, 
caused  delay;  after  passing  this  on  a  frail  bridge,  I  encountered 
ice  which  had  several  inches  of  water  standing  upon  it.  There 
was  just  light  enough  to  enable  me  to  distinguish  here  and 
there  a  black  hole  in  which  there  appeared  to  be  no  bottom. 
I  had  been  warned  to  look  for  rotten  ice  at  ihe  head  of  the 
river,  and  as  the  black  patches  appeared  to  be  larger  and  closer 
together  as  I  advanced,  I  was  compelled  to  turn  back  and  wait 
until  daylight.  Dragging  the  sled  back  to  solid  ice,  I  laid  down 
upon  it  and  slept  for  three  hours.  When  I  awoke  the  sun  was 
shining  upon  m)'  face  and  I  could  realize  the  danger  which 
I  had  been  in.  I  had  gone  a  half  mile  too  far  to  the  northward. 
The  ice  was  full  of  holes  and  I  could  not  get  ashore  without 
wading  and  picking  my  way  very  carefully.  As  I  ascended 
the  bank  I  noticed  a  few  sticks  standing  in  circles  here  and 
there  in  the  river  ice,  and  the  ridges,  which  had  once  been  fur- 
rows made  by  the  sleds  passing  to  and  from  the  nets,  showed 
that  someone  had  wintered  near  by.  A  few  wooden  crosses, 
enclosed  by  a  dilapidated  picket  fence,  stood  at  the  entrance  of 
the  river.  The  timber  had  evidently  been  cleared  away,  and  the 
graves  and  fish  stages  indicated  the  proximity  of  a  settlement, 
still  no  dogs  greeted  my  approach;  the  waterfowl  were  making 
discordant  outcries  from  every  pool,  as  if  the  place  were  de- 
serted, and  so  it  proved  to  be  when,  a  minute  later,  I  came  in 
sight  of  two  cabins  surrounded  by  such  extensive  staging  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  but  that  they  were  the  property  of  the  Com- 
pany. 

Releasing  the  dogs  from  the  harness,  I  spread  the  contents 
of  the  sled  upon  the  staging  to  dry,  and,  after  drinking  a  cup 
of  tea,  turned  in  to  get  some  much-needed  rest.  The  next 
day  I  heard  the  occasional  report  of  fire  arms  across  the  river, 
but  searched  in  vain  for  Indians. 

This  delay  was  very  annoying,  the  condition  of  the  river  ice 
was  growing  rapidly  worse,  so  that  I  could  not  travel  far  on  it; 
if  I  left  my  outfit   it  would   prevent    my  traveling  with   the 


DOWN    THE    MACKENZIE 


129 


Steamer.  I  harnessed  the  team  that  afternoon,  scarcely  hoping 
that  they  could  haul.  They  had  not  been  able  to  ascend  the 
bank  the  day  before  and  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for  three  tlays, 
during  which  the)'  had  been  almost  continuously  in  harness. 
Much  to  my  surprise  they  moved  off  on  the  ice  at  a  fair  pace. 
The  river  was  flowing  in  an  open  channel  along  the  shore,  but 
the  greater  portion  of  the  ice  had  not  yet  broken  up,  though  it 
was  in  a  very  unsafe  condition.  After  traveling  about  eight 
miles  I  reached  the  lower  end  of  Hig  Island,  but  the  only  land 
which  I  could  reach  with  my  load  was  a  small  island  below, 
which  was  covered  with  willows  and  poplars.  I  spent  the  night 
there  and  as  I  could  not  proceed  further  with  the  sled  I  cached 
it  upon  a  scaffold. 

I  was  depending  upon  ducks  and  grouse  for  food.  I  had 
left  Rac  with  a  few  pounds  of  bread  and  dried  meat,  beside 
seven  candles  of  deer's  tallow  which  proved  to  be  a  very  ac- 
ceptable addition  to  the  dr)-  meat. 

I  started  next  mornmg  toward  Providence,  carrying  a  blanket 
and  shot  gun,  intending  to  send  for  the  sled  as  soon  as  the  river 
opened.  After  traveling  a  few  miles  I  met  a  party  of  Slavey 
Indians,  who  were  coming  up  the  river  with  two  sleds,  having 
high  runners,  made  especially  for  use  on  overflowed  ice.  They 
were  the  filthiest  and  most  degraded  looking  Indians  that  I  met 
in  the  North.  They  knew  no  English,  but  seemed  to  under- 
stand the  few  words  of  the  Dog  Rib  dialect  which  I  could  com- 
mand. They  directed  me  to  Jackfish  Point,  a  short  distance 
below,  from  which  they  had  just  come,  where  a  small  band  of 
Slaveys  were  encamped.  As  usual,  they  asked  for  tobacco,  and 
as  usual,  they  thought  my  tongue  was  crooked  when  I  told 
them  that  I  had  none,  as  no  Indian  would  believe,  so  universal 
is  the  habit,  that  a  man  did  not  smoke,  especially  a  master  able 
to  carry  such  weapons  as  I  possessed,  and  to  drive  good  dogs. 
I  should  like  to  know  whether  it  was  a  kindly  feeling  which 
prompted  one  of  them  to  call  to  me  to  wait,  after  they  had  gone 
some  distance,  while  he  brought  me  a  piece  of  dried  meat, 
which  he  might  have  thought  that  I  needed;  or  whether  his 
generosity  was  due  to  a  last  attempt  to  get  the  coveted  tobacco. 
At  any  rate  I  gave  him  some  shot  and  divided  the  meat  among 
my  dogs. 

At  the  low  marshy  point  I   found  an  open  channel  two  to 

9 


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1.:, 

;t 

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In 

* 

[>■  ■  n 


130 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


three  feet  in  depth  and  a  hundred  yards  in  width.  I  waded 
ashore  and  searched  for  the  camps,  which  were  of  such  a 
material  and  so  well  hidden  by  the  willows  that  I  might  easily 
have  passed  without  discovering  them. 

Instead  of  the  well-made  caribouskin  lodges  of  the  Dog  Ribs, 
they  had  nothing  but  rude  enclosures  covered  with  grass  and 
reeds.  Two  families  had  smaller  canvas  tents,  adjoinm^  *heir 
lodges,  which  afforded  them  shelter  from  the  rain. 

They  were  surprised  to  see  a  white  man  traveling  alone  and 
soon  gathered  in  the  chief's  lodge  to  drink  tea.  They  under- 
stood neither  French  nor  English,  and  we  talked  and  gesticulated 
for  two  hours  before  they  seemed  to  understand  that  I  desired 
their  assistance.  They  said  that  the  ice  was  unsafe,  the  open 
water  did  not  extend  to  the  post,  and  to  travel  through  the 
bush  was  impossible.  They  were  living  on  jackfish,  which  they 
killed  with  sharpened  poles.  I  fed  the  dogs  several  fish,  but 
found  to  my  surprise  that  they  would  not  eat  more  than  one 
fresh  jackfish  each.  After  my  fourth  meal  of  boiled  jackfish, 
without  salt,  I,  also,  had  little  appetite  for  them.  The  next 
morning  1  told  the  Indians  that  I  was  going  to  the  post  over 
the  ice,  and  that  I  would  give  them  no  more  tea;  this  decided 
the  matter  and  two  of  them  volunteered  to  accompany  me. 
We  brought  the  sled  to  the  camp,  loaded  everything  but  the 
dogs  in  a  canoe  and  pushed  off. 

My  dogs  were  to  be  fed  and  brought  down  to  Providence  as 
soon  as  the  river  open  .J.  It  was  not  without  regret  that  I 
parted  from  that  faithful  team,  which  had  hauled  from  the  time 
when  the  first  snow  fell  until  after  the  last  bank  had  disap- 
peared on  the  land.  They  had  traveled  over  twenty-two  hun- 
dred miles,  through  trackless  bush  and  dismal  barrens.  With 
aching  limbs  and  bleeding  feet  they  had  toiled  on,  their  only 
reward  being  the  half-putrid  fish  of  which  I  was  often  unable  to 
give  them  a  full  ration.  Man)'  a  time  they  had  been  beaten  into 
the  snow  when  exhausted  and  hungry.  Many  a  time  they  had 
been  harnessed  in  the  morning,  too  weak  and  stiff  to  start  the 
heavy  load,  only  answering  the  cutting  whip  with  their  piteous 
whine.  Nudjuk,  Treff,  Major,  und  Corbcau,  we  have  hunted, 
eaten,  and  slept  together  for  the  last  time. 

We  camped  that  night  upon  a  gravel  bar  across  which  the 
geese  and  ducks  were  continually  passing,  so  that  we  easily 
killed  enough  for  our  use. 


■;l 


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:h  a 
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and 
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but 
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WIN      I  IIMS     \  I     slMl'silN. 


I 


^I.A\  I.N       I  Mil   X.V.    I   AUKS  IM.    IM     1  i    1  I      M    r  U  1  I  \  II  il  ..SI.  I 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


131 


• 


Twelve  miles  above  Providence  the  narrow  channel  which 
we  were  following  terminated  in  an  ice  jam.  We  again  cached 
the  load,  and  continued  on  foot,  reaching  the  post  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  eleventh  day  after  leaving  Rae.  I  paid  the  men  well 
for  their  work  and  gave  them  several  skins  of  ammunition  be- 
sides, which  did  not  deter  them  from  stealing  all  the  powder 
from  the  cache  when  they  returned  to  their  camp. 

On  the  29th  the  ice  had  not  yet  broken  up,  and  a  letter  from 
Willow  River  informed  us  that  the  steamer  would  leave  on  June 
2nd,  if  the  ice  permitted.  I  hired  two  men  to  pack  down  my 
outfit,  and  accom.panied  them  to  the  cache  that  evening.  By 
carrying  a  heavy  load  myself  we  were  able  to  bring  everything 
except  the  sled  and  harness,  for  which  I  had  no  further  use. 
That  evening,  while  Mr.  Scott  was  paying  the  men  in  the  store, 
some  of  their  friends,  taking  advantage  of  the  absence  of  every- 
one from  the  kitchen,  stole  the  fish  and  potatoes  that  were 
standing,  cooked  for  our  dinner,  upon  the  stove. 

Providence,  or  as  it  is  usually  called,  "The  Rapids,"  stands 
upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Mackenzie,  forty  miles  below  the 
Great  Slave  Lake  and  twenty  above  the  Little  Lake.  There  is 
a  strong  current  in  the  channel  before  the  post,  but  the  steamer 
ascends  it  without  difficulty.  Providence  was  originally  built 
on  Marten  Lake,  then  near  Yellow  Knife  Bay,  then  removed 
to  Big  Island,  and  later  to  its  present  site. 

There  is  a  small  clearing,  in  which  both  the  Company  and 
the  Roman  Catholic  mission  raise  barlej-  and  vegetables.  The 
grasshoppers  have  made  their  appearance  about  every  third 
year  and  have  been  more  destructive  to  the  crops  than  the 
frosts.  At  most  of  the  Company's  stations  a  few  bushels  of 
potatoes  and  other  vegetables  have  been  raised  each  year. 
Cattle  have  been  kept  for  years  at  every  post,  until  orders 
came  in  1893  to  kill  them,  as  the  expense  of  keeping  them  was 
too  great.  Sufficient  hay  was  easil)' obtainable,  but  not  of  good 
quality.  No  hay  had  been  provided  for  a  cow  which  was 
brought  to  Rae,  late  in  the  fall  of  1 856,  so  that  she  was  fed 
upon  dried  fish  through  the  winter.  Poultry  has  been  kept 
at  Providence  for  several  \ears.  It  is  also  fed  upon  dried  fish, 
which  is  preferred  to  barley. 

On  the  2nd  of  June  I  made  preparations  for  an  early  start 
for  the  steamer,  to  which  an  Indian  was  to  take  me  in  a  birch 


\  . 


132 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


canoe.  As  the  river  was  full  of  floating  ice  we  were  to  follow 
the  "  slough,"  a  channel  with  little  current,  which  cuts  off  a 
large  island  just  below  the  post.  We  found  the  slough  covered 
with  young  ice  which  had  formed  during  the  night,  and  had  to 
wait  two  hours  for  the  morning  sun  to  melt  it.  We  reached 
the  "Wrigley"  at  2  p.  m.,  and  a  half  hour  later  we  were  steam- 
ing down  the  river.  Ti  e  ice  was  running  in  a  heavy  pack  before 
us  so  that  we  ran  at  half  speed,  and  even  came  to  anchor  twice 
to  allow  the  swift  current  to  clear  the  ice  away. 

We  reached  Simpson  on  the  5th.  This,  the  largest  establish- 
ment in  the  north,  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Liard  River. 
It  is  the  central  post  of  the  Mackenzie  District,  to  which  the 
goods  were  brought  in  former  times  to  be  distributed  to  the 
various  stations  between  Nelson  and  the  Yukon.  The  depots 
are  now  little  used.  An  upper  floor  of  one  of  the  buildings  is 
occupied  by  the  museum,  which  contams  a  few  geological  and 
ethnological  specimens,  and  a  number  of  birds  and  mammals 
which  have  been  mounted  by  Captain  Bell  The  collection 
makes  a  creditable  showing  of  the  fauna  o  that  region  and 
deserves  better  quarters,  free  from  dust  and  museum  pests. 

The  "Mackenzie  River  Library"  contained  several  hundred 
volumes,  nearly  all  of  which  had  been  carried  over  miles  of  por- 
tages on  men's  backs,  by  way  of  the  long  boat  route  to  York  Fac- 
tory. I  there  read,  for  the  first  time,  the  account  of  \.\\ft  Journey 
to  a  Northern  Ocean  in  1771,  by  that  excellent  observer,  Samuel 
Hearne.  I  had  just  visited  the  territory  which  he  has  so  quaintly 
described,  and  was  in  a  position  to  appreciate  the  accurate  and 
truthful  account  which  he  has  given  of  the  "Northern  Indians." 

We  continued  our  journey  upon  the  loth  of  June.  Seventy 
miles  below  Simpson  we  passed  the  Nahanni  River  which  enters 
from  the  west.  The  Nahanni  Mountains,  a  spur  of  the  Rockies, 
rising  to  a  height  of  three  thousand  feet,  here  deflect  the  Mac- 
kenzie toward  the  north.  Fifty  miles  below,  the  river  breaks 
through  this  range,which  extends  several  hundred  miles  farther 
to  the  northward.  The  higher  elevations  were  covered  with 
snow,  though  it  all  disappeared  during  the  summer. 

We  stopped  for  wood,  at  a  high  bank  just  above  Norman, 
where  extensive  beds  of  lignite  were  burning.  A  recently  caved 
portion  exposed  a  section  of  lignite  eight  feet  in  thickness.* 

»W.  F.  Wentzel,  an  officer  of  the   Northwest  Compan}',  wrote  in  1807: 


i^ 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


133 


I  found  the  bed  of  edible  clay,  mentioned  by  Richardson,' 
near  the  base  of  the  cliff.  It  is  used  for  whitewashing  at  Nor- 
man, and  is  said  to  have  been  used  as  a  substitute  for  soap  by  the 
Indians  before  the  introduction  of  that  article  by  the  traders. ^ 

Norman  stands  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bear  River  near  the  Bear 
Rock,  a  solitary  butte  over  four  thousand  feet  in  height. 
Below  Norman  the  banks  of  the  river  were  lined  with  mud- 
covered  floes  of  rapidly  melting  ice,  which  had  been  deposited 
fifty  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  river,  owing  to  an  ice 
jam  which  had  formed  at  the  Ramparts,  just  south  of  Good 
Hope.  At  that  point  the  river  contracts  to  a  width  of  less  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  flows  between  vertical  limestone  cliffs, 
two  hundred  feet  in  height;  the  narrowness  of  the  stream,  and 
the  sharp  angle  which  it  makes  in  its  course,  causes  the  ice  to 
gorge  on  a  tremendous  scale  at  the  time  of  its  disruption  in  the 
spring. 

We  anchored  before  Good  Hope  at  ii  p.  M.,  June  1 2th.  Mr. 
C.  P.  Gaudette,  a  veteran  who  had  been  over  forty  years  in  the 
Company's  service,  was  in  charge  of  the  post.  With  his  kind 
assistance,  I  engaged  an  Indian  to  take  me  back  in  a  canoe  to 
the  Ramparts,  the  following  day.  Fossils  ivere  abundant  in  the 
cliffs,  but  neither  time  nor  transportation  facilities  permitted 
making  as  large  a  collection  as  I  could  have  wished. 

"As  to  volcanoes,  there  are  some  along  the  north  side  of  the  Grand  River 
[Mackenzie],  at  a  little  distance  this  side  of  Bear  Lake  River  and  which  are 
visible  from  thia  river.  From  these,  issue  several  columns  of  smoke  which 
have  a  strong  smell  of  coal  and  sulpher.  I  was  told  by  Mr.  John  Thain, 
one  who  had  personally  inspected  them,  that  the  fire  was  not  above  a  foot 
under  ground;  the  flames  are  pale  and  the  smoke  black;  the  holes  from 
which  the  blazes  appear,  are  small  and  numerous.  No  irruptions,  such  as 
are  experienced  in  the  Eastern  hemisphere,  ever  occurred  here  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Indians."     Masson,  L.  R.,  Les  Bourgeoh,  Vol.  I,  p.  79. 

Lignite  was  burning  for  several  miles  on  either  side  of  the  Mackenzie, 
above  Bear  Lake  River,  in  1836.     Simpson,  Thomas,  Narrative,  p.  97. 

'"A  pipe-day  is  very  generally  associated  with  the  coal  beds,  and  is  fre- 
quently found  in  contact  with  the  lignite.  It  exists  in  beds  varying  in 
thickness  from  six  inches  to  a  foot,  and  is  generally  of  a  yellowish-white 
color,  but  in  some  places  has  a  light  lake-red  tint.  It  i>  hmooth,  without 
grittiness,  and  when  masticated  has  a  flavor  somewhat  like  the  kernel  of  a 
hazel-nut.  *  *  The  natives  eat  this  earth  in  times  of  scarcity,  and  suppose 
that  thereby  they  prolong  their  lives."     Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  p.  118. 

•Ibid,  p.  119. 


134 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


ItWW? 


The  "Wripf ley" started  up  the  river  that  afternoon  on  her  first 
trip  of  the  season  to  Fort  Smith.  The  furs  at  all  the  posts  above 
Good  Hope,  except  Rae,  ar-  collected  on  this  trip.  On  her 
return  the  steamer  {joes  directly  down  to  the  only  post  north 
ofGocd  Hope, — McPherson.'  On  her  third  northward  trip  the 
"Wrigley"  Roes  only  to  Simpson,  and  then  returns  to  Willow 
River  to  be  hauled  out  for  the  winter.  There  is  but  one  post  in 
the  Mackenzie  District — P'ort  Liard — which  the  steamer  does 
not  reach. 

It  was  two  hunilred  and  seventy-five  miles  to  M^t*herson,  to 
which  I  had  now  to  make  my  way  as  quickly  as  possible.  I  had 
no  definite  information  concerning  the  date  at  which  the  whale- 
boat  from  Hcrschel  Island  niijjht  be  expected  at  McPherson, 
and  feared  that  if  I  arriv<"d  too  late  to  accompany  it  that  I 
would  be  unable  to  reach  the  island  alone.  I  therefore  spent 
no  time  in  zooloj^ical  explorations  in  that  very  interesting 
region,  but  set  off  again,  the  next  morning,  alone,  in  a  small 
birch  canoe.  There  were  a  few  pieces  to  be  sent  down  to  Mc- 
Pherson,but  the  skiff  which  carried  them  was  too  heavily  loaded 
to  admit  a  passenger.  The  skiff  would  drift  at  night  while  I, 
not  being  able  to  sleep  in  the  canoi-,  would  have  to  camp  on 
shore;  this  would  prevent  me  from  traveling  in  company  with 
it,  and  constant  association  with  the  Indians  for  the  past  two 
months  had  not  developed  such  a  fondness  for  their  society  that 
I  desired  to  have  Indian  guides  if  I  could  possibly  travel  alone. 

I  filled  every  inch  of  space  in  the  canoe  with  a  hundred  and 
eighty  pounds  of  baggage  and  left  the  remainder  to  be  brought 
in  the  skiff,  which  I  was  assured  would  soon  pass  me.  I  started 
late  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  June,  a  memorable  date,  as 
I  crossed  the  arctic  circle  that  afternoon  and  felt  that  I  was 
really  in  the  Xortli. 

The  strong  current  of  the  majestic  river  aided  me  very  much, 
even  down  the  Grand  View,  which  I  passed  the  next  morning, 
where  the  banks  are  from  two  to  three  miles  apart  and  the  river 
without  a  bend  for  miles,  the  current  was  still  strong.  I  crossed 
to  the  left  bank  that  afternoon  to  avoid  a  group  of  Indian 
cabins  called  "Chicago"  b)-  the  officers  of  the  "  Wrigley." 

'Called  Peel  River  by  the  Company;  the  original  name  of  McPherson  is 
preferable,  as  it  is  not  then  confused  with  the  Peel  River  on  who  le  banks 
the  station  is  situated. 


I 


ira«^iPBWi^ 


-_»:.    .    '.■■ 


'!     I 


fii 


\i 


' 


I.OIClll-.IX    SfMMI.K    KlllU.niK.       MC'I'II|;KSI>N 


iiTTTiff  iMiaiiv  nil  vn  •■  »t  li  rfi  11 


i  'iwimip.'.  iimwm  r,»iwr 


DOWN   THE   MACKENZIE 


135 


' 


I  camped  the  second  ni^ht  on  a  narrow  ledge  at  the  foot  of 
a  bank,  three  hundred  feet  in  height,  opposite  the  site  of  the 
original  Fort  Good  Hope.' 

On  the  third  day,  I  was  dela)ed  by  a  head  wind  so  that  I 
only  traveled  fifty  miles  though  I  continued  until  midnight.  I 
was  then  in  the  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun  which  enabled  me  to 
travel  at  any  time.  I  soon  became  accustomed  to  the  continu- 
ous sunshine  and  came  to  prefer  it  to  the  usual  alternation  of 
daylight  and  darkness.  To  save  time,  I  r'.tc  my  meals  while 
drifting  and  spent  very  little  time  ashore. 

I  passed  several  camps  of  Loucheux  Indians  who  were  living 
in  canvas  tents  or  low  lodges  of  loose  skins,  pitched  at  the 
mouths  of  tributary  streams  where  the  eddies  supplied  them 
with  fish.  I  avoided  them  as  much  as  possible,  not  having  the 
tea  and  tobacco  to  satisf)'  their  importunities,  nor  time  to  waste 
in  relieving  theircuriositj'at  sight  of  a  solitary  "Chi-sai-witc-in" 
(white  man).  As  soon  as  they  saw  that  I  was  going  past  .  .'-^ut 
stopping  they  would  dash  pell-mell  down  the  bank,  a'l  i  c  e 
off  in  their  canoes,  following  me  for  a  mile  or  two  t;  Wo,  .  r 
"lee  tea."  I  expected  to  find  a  large  band  of  Louc''  \  t  the 
mouth  of  the  Red  River,  to  avoid  which  I  kept  alon.j  th  oj  po- 
site  bank.  I  could  see  their  lodges  plainl}',  and  \v  '  just  con- 
gratulating myself  on  having  escaped  them,  whci  i  veach(,'d 
the  sharp  turn  to  the  northwest  below  the  Lower  Ramjjarts 
and  suddenly  founH  myself  within  a  hundred  yards  of  a  dozen 
lodges.  All  was  in  an  uproar  in  a  moment.  Some  rushed 
toward  the  canoes,  others  began  shouting  and  beckoning  to 
me  to  come  ashore.  I  thought  that  the  men  with  the  skiff 
must  be  close  at  hand  and  its  occupants  had  more  time  to 
waste  than  I,  so  I  pointed  up  the  river  and  imitated  the  motion 
of  rowing  at  which  they  left  their  canoes  and  several  climbed 
the  high  bank  to  watch  for  the  boat. 

An  eccentric  little  windmill,  made  of  three  pieces  of  spruce, 
was  wobbling  at  a  rapid  rate  on  a  stake  set  up  in  a  conspicuous 
place  on    the   bank.     Unlike    the  superstitious  natives  about 

1  Between  the  dtite  of  Franklin's  second  voyage  in  1826,  and  that  of 
Simpson,  in  1836,  the  post  was  moved  to  Manitou  Island,  opposite  its  pres- 
ent site.  The  island  was  flooded  with  "  two  fathoms  "  of  water  during  the 
June  rise  of  1836,  which  mowed  down  the  forest  and  injured,  but  did  not 
carry  away,  the  buildings.  Tlie  inhabitants  escaped  in  a  boat  to  a  lake  in 
the  center  of  the  island.     Simpson,  Thomas,  '^JVarnt/ivc,^'  p.  99. 


t-» 


r-i;; 


136 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


New  Amsterdam,  the  Louchcux  are  not  afraid  of  windmills, 
and  amuse  themselves  by  makinj^  simple  toy  wheels,  since  the 
windmill  was  put  up  by  the  mission  at  McPherson.  \  strong 
head  wind  blew  steadily  all  day.  The  long  sweep  of  the  river 
around  Point  Separation  was  fully  exposed  to  the  wind  which, 
blowing  against  the  current,  raised  such  a  sea  that  progress  was 
not  only  retarded  but  rendered  dangerous.  This  point,  at  the 
head  of  the  Delta,  was  so  named  by  Franklin  when,  in  1826,  he 
divided  his  party  to  send  Richardson  down  the  eastern  channels 
to  the  coast.  Twenty-two  years  later  Dr.  Richardi:on  again 
reached  Point  Separation,  where  he  deposited  a  case  of  pem- 
mican  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  many  lop-sticks,  for  the  use  of 
Franklin's  party  should  any  survivors  succeed  in  reaching  and 
ascending  the  Mackenzie.* 

Many  sanguinary  conflicts  have  occurred  there  between 
Loucheux  and  Eskimos.'*  The  "Huskies,"  who  annually  as- 
cend the  river  to  trade  at  McPherson,  are  said  to  "make  them- 
selves awkward"  if  they  meet  a  party  weaker  than  themselves, 
so  that  I  was  inclined  to  give  them  as  wide  a  berth  as  possible. 

I  started  early,  on  the  fifth  day,  and  soon  entered  the  narrow 
channel,  with  many  tedious  windings,  by  which  the  "Wrigley" 
ascends  the  Peel  to  McPherson. 

The  frozen  banks  were  being  rapidly  undermined,  the  falling 

'  Britisk  Arctic  Blue  Book,  Vol.  35,  p.  2. 

•In  a  paper  to  the  Institute  of  Rupert's  Land  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Kirkby 
writes:  "Between  Point  Separation  and  Peel's  River  [Fort  McPherson], we 
met  several  parties  of  Esquimaux,  all  of  whom  from  their  thievish  propen- 
sities gave  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  very  glad  were  we  to  escape  out 
of  their  hands  without  loss  or  injury.  They  are  a  tine-looking  race  of 
people,  and  from  their  general  habits  and  appearance  I  imagine  them  to  be 
much  more  intelligent  than  the  Indians."  Hind.,  H.  Y.,  The  Labrador 
Peninsula,  Vol.  II,  p.  164. 

In  1799  Mr  Duncan  Levingstone,  of  the  North-VVest  Company,  with  four 
servants,  was  killed  by  the  Eskimoa  at  Point  Separation,  while  "on  a  voy- 
age of  discovery."    Masson,  Les  Bourgeois,  Vol.  I,  p.  95. 

PuUen  gives  an  account  of  the  cowardly  massacre  there  of  a  party  of 
Eskimos  by  a  band  of  Loucheux  at  the  instigation  of  a  Canadian.  British 
Arctic  Blue  Book,  1852,  Vol.  50,  p.  54. 

On  anottier  occasion  the  two  nations  had  met  on  friendly  terms,  but  dur- 
ing a  dance,  the  Eskimos  had  suddenly  drawn  knives  from  their  wide 
sleeves  and  attacked  the  Loucheux.  In  the  conflict  which  ensued  several 
were  slain  on  both  sides.     Richardson,  Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  p.  133. 


-wmmmwm 


lUJU^ 


W' 


I 

I 

ii 


I. in   (,111    I    \     I'.USS.        Mt    rill    KSDN. 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


137 


earth  was  a  source  of  constant  danger,  as  I  found  it  necessary 
to  keep  close  to  the  banks  in  order  to  make  any  headway  against 
the  swift  current.  I  made  slow  progress,  often  advancing  only 
by  digging  the  paddle  into  the  bank  and  fighting  my  way  inch 
by  inch.  I  reached  McPherson  at  3  a.  m.  on  the  igth.  I  had 
been  five  days  on  the  journey,  and  had  paddled  twmty-two 
hours  to  make  the  last  forty  miles,  most  of  that  distance  being 
against  the  current  of  the  Peel  River.  The  skiff  did  not  arrive 
until  the  day  following,  on  account  of  being  delayed  by  the 
strong  wind  which  had  caused  me  such  heavy  paddling  on  the 
third  and  fourth  days. 

When  I  landed  fifteen  to  twenty  Indians  and  metis  youths 
were  playing  football  in  the  quadrangular  space  before  the  big 
house.  They  slept  during  the  day,  when  both  the  sun  and  mos- 
quitoes were  troublesome,  and  at  "night,"  when  the  sun  shone 
just  above  the  fcrjst  to  the  northward,  they  visitf'd  their  nets, 
hunted  waterfowl  in  the  partially  frozen  lakes  near  by,  or  chased 
a  homemade  football  in  a  noisy  pack.  They  all  came  to  the 
landing  place  to  shake  hands  and  to  carry  my  baggage  up  the 
steep  bank.  They  could  see  that  I  had  a  little  flour,  a  luxury  the 
last  pound  of  which  had  been  cor.v  med  at  that  post  months 
before,  and  I  heard  them  speculating  as  to  the  probability  of 
the  various  muskimoots  containing  tea  and  tobacco. 

No  boat  had  arrived  from  Herschel  Island.  I  found  that  the 
explorer.  Count  de  Sainville,  was  preparing  to  go  by  canoe  to 
Herschel  Island,  also  with  the  intention  of  taking  passage  for 
San  Francisco.  It  would  be  much  safer  and  much  pleasanter 
10  have  company  on  the  journey,  I  therefore  waited  a  few  days 
for  the  Count  to  complete  his  arrangements  for  departure. 

I  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  write  letters  which 
would  be  forwarded  by  the  "Wrigley,"  which  would  arrive  about 
July  15th.  I  then  occupied  the  time  in  collecting  ethnological 
specimens  and  writing  a  vocabulary  of  common  Loucheux 
words. 

As  there  were  no  goods  in  the  store  I  was  not  very  success- 
ful in  obtaining  specimens  from  the  natives.  A  few  pounds  of 
tea  would  ive  enabled  me  to  purchase  anything  they  pos- 
sessed. 

Plain  moose  kin  moccasins  were  valued  at  one  skin,  beaded 
ones,  two  skins;  plain  mooseskin  hunting  shirt,  four  skins;  orna- 


12^ 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


mcnted  with  fringe,  ribbon,  and  quills,  ten  skins.  The  Louch- 
eux, before  the  advent  of  the  whites,  wore  caribouskin  clothing. 
The  upper  garment  had  a  pointed  skirt  which  reached  to  the 
knee.  The  trousers  and  shoes  were  joined  together,  as  in  those 
worn  b\-  the  Eskimo  women.  This  prett)' and  serviceable  cos- 
tume is  no  longer  worn.  There  was  but  one  old  woman  at  the 
post  who  knew  how  to  make  it;  she  asked  only  fifty  skins  for  a 
suit  of  white  caribouskin,  as  soft  as  chamois  leather,  tastefully 
trimmed  with  quill-wrapped  fringe  and  beads. 

The  Count  had  spent  four  years  in  the  Lower  Mackenzie 
region  and  had  so  gained  the  confidence  of  the  natives  that  two 
of  them  were  willing  to  assist  him  to  reach  Herschel  Island, 
which  was  in  the  territor>'of  their  hereditary  enemies,  the  Eski- 
mos— though  the  two  races  were  then  at  peace — and  we  would 
have  to  traverse  a  hundred  miles  of  unknown  seacoast,  after 
leaving  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

I  left  the  Slavey  canoe  in  which  I  had  come  from  Good 
Hope  at  McPherson,  and  continued  in  a  small  Loucheux  birch 
canoe  which  had  broadly  flaring  sides,  so  that  it  was  not  at  all 
cranky.  It  was  thirt)'-two  inches  in  the  beam,  but  it  was 
roughly  made  and  quite  "slow."  It  was  fourteen  feet  in  length 
along  the  water  lijie  and  fourteen  inches  in  depth.  The  Count 
had  a  large  canvas-covered  canoe,  which  three  men  could  drive 
at  the  rate  of  about  four  miles  an  hour  when  loaded  with  eight 
hundred  pounds  of  baggage. 

We  started  for  Herschel  Island  on  the  25th  of  June.  Twelve 
miles  below  the  post  the  Peel  divides  into  a  number  of  chan- 
nels, some  of  which  flow  toward  Point  Separation,  while  others 
extend  nearly  to  the  ocean  before  mingling  their  waters  with 
those  of  the  Mackenzie.  During  the  afternoon  a  strong  head 
wind  raised  such  high  waves  in  the  current  that  we  traveled 
at  considerable  risk  and  frequently  shipped  water. 

Muskrats  were  abundant  in  the  man}'  channels,  and  ducks, 
geese,  cranes,  swans,  and  loons  filled  the  air  with  discordant 
sounds  at  all  hours.  Several  bald  eagles  were  seen  during  the 
da)-,  one  of  which  Vusso  killed  for  its  skin  which  he  carried  to 
the  coast  to  trade  with  the  Eskimos.  We  camped  that  evening 
on  a  point  that  was  covered  with  the  fresh  tracks  of  two  grizzly 
bears. 

The  sun  shone  throughout  the  twenty-four  hours  of  the  day. 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


139 


and  with  such  power  that  the  snows  were  melted  to  a  high 
altitude  on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  along  whose  eastern  base  we 
were  traveling. 

The  whole  country  had  been  flooded  a  few  days  before,  at  the 
time  of  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  that  still  remained  in  consid- 
erable quantities  of  black  and  dripping  blocks  along  the  banks. 
It  was  difficult  to  find  enough  brush  to  keep  our  blankets  out 
of  the  mud  which  had  been  deposited  by  the  receding  waters. 
The  hares  in  the  Delta  had  been  drowned  during  the  overflow, 
and  we  frequently  saw  their  dead  bodies  suspended  among  the 
willows. 

As  we  continued  next  day  the  waterfowl  became  more  abun- 
dant in  the  ponds  which  covered  the  interior  of  the  islands. 
All  through  the  cooler  part  of  the  day,  or  night,  when  the  sun 
hung  low  in  the  north,  the  melodious  call  of  the  long-tailed 
duck,  Clangida  hycmalis  (Linn.),  (known  to  Eskimos  bj-  the 
name  a-hau-Tifi,  and  to  the  whites  b)'  another  onomatope — 
caccawe)  could  be  heard.  I  never  tired  of  hearing  the  note  of 
this  duck,  which  rang  out  with  such  wild,  mirth-provoking 
freedom,  in  contrast  with  the  hideous  scream  of  the  loon,  Colym- 
bus  pacificus  Lawr. 

The  Count  assured  me  that  the  area  covered  by  water  ex- 
ceeded the  timbered  portion  of  the  Delta  in  extent,  as  viewed 
by  him  from  the  summit  of  the  Black  Mountain,  just  east  of 
which  we  were  passing.  Moose  and  bear  tracks  were  frequently 
seen.  Lieutenant  Pullen,  who  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie on  the  27th  of  August,  1850,  reported  "tracks  of  bears, 
moose  and  reindeer  frequent."  On  the  morning  of  the  third 
day  a  wolverine  was  wounded  but  escaped.  We  killed  geese, 
ducks,  and  muskrats  and,  with  the  flour  which  I  had  brought, 
we  were  well  provisioned.  At  7  p.  m.,  as  we  were  quietly  pad- 
dling around  a  long  bend,  with  a  low  muddy  shore,  we  caught 
sight  of  a  large  grizzly  bear  walking  down  stream  b)' the  water's 
edge.  As  I  was  the  only  member  of  the  party  who  had  a  rifle, 
I  hastened  to  draw  it  from  its  case  and  to  push  forward  to  get 
a  shot  at  close  range.  The  bear,  without  seeing  us,  entered 
the  stream  with  the  evident  intention  of  swimming  across.  "Be 
careful,"  said  the  Indians,  "he  is  a  wicked  beast.  If  }ou  kill 
him,  you  must  grab  him  or  he  will  sink."  I  was  within  fifty 
yards  of  the  animal  before  he  discovered  our  presence.     He 


i 


140 


EXPLORATIOnS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


I 


Uttered  a  roar  of  rage  as  he  realized  his  disadvantage,  and  at 
once  turned  back  toward  the  shore  which  he  had  just  quitted. 
He  held  his  head  well  out  of  the  water  and  continued  growling, 
though  he  swam  rapidly.  I  waited  until  he  gained  a  foothold 
at  the  shallow  margin  before  I  fired.  The  bullet  struck  a  little 
above  his  heart,  rendering  him  helpless  but  not  killing  him. 
He  sank  to  the  frozen  earth  through  a  foot  of  soft  mud  in  which 
he  floundered  and  rolled  until  no  longer  recognizable  as  a  bear. 
It  was  not  difficult  then  to  finish  him.  We  had  not  met  on 
equal  terms,  yet  I  had  not  felt  altogether  at  ease  in  attempting 
to  approach  and  fire  from  the  cranky  little  canoe  which  veered 
quickly  when  I  dropped  the  paddle  to  use  the  rifle,  nor  did  I 
relish  the  idea  of  "grabbing"  a  dying  grizzly  to  keep  him  from 
sinking.  As  there  was  no  suitable  camping  place  near  at  hand, 
we  towed  the  bear  a  quarter  of  a  mile  across  the  river.  It  re- 
quired all  of  one  man's  strength  to  raise  the  body  to  the  surface 
in  approaching  the  shore.  It  was  a  five-year  old  male,  still  in 
prime  condition.  We  celebrated  the  event  by  having  a  feast 
of  ducks  and  fresh  bread.  As  I  wished  to  preserve  the  skin  for 
mounting,  it  took  us  some  time  to  remove  it,  and  it  was  3  a.  m. 
before  we  sought  our  tired  pillows. 

On  the  fifth  da\'  we  passed  the  last  stunted  and  flat-topped 
spruce;  the  channels  were  fringed  with  willows  nearl)'  to  the 
coast,  which  was  reached  the  following  day.  The  larger  lakes 
were  still  covered  with  ict,  t.iwugh  the  sea  was  open  to  the 
horizon. 

We  had  been  delayed  while  descending  the  river  by  the  wind 
which  blew  continually  on  our  bows.  Though  our  progress 
was  slow,  we  were  not  prevented  from  traveling,  but  through- 
out the  voyage  before  us,  along  a  hundred  miles  of  unprotected 
sea  coast,  we  would  be  driven  ashor*.'  by  every  strong  breeze, 
unless  it  blew  off  the  land.  My  pleasure  at  beholding  the 
Arctic  Ocean  at  last,  was  mingled  with  apprehension  at  the 
thought  of  how  unsuitable  was  the  craft  with  which  I  would 
have  to  traverse  its  ice-laden  waters. 

We  had  first  to  cross  an  indentation  of  the  coast,  called  .Shoal- 
water  Ba\',  which  lies  between  the  mouth  of  the  westernmost 
channel  of  the  Mackenzie  and  the  delta  of  a  mountain  stream 
thrown  out  some  miles  from  the  hills.  We  were  over  an  hour 
making  this  traverse,  where  even  a  moderate  wind  would  have 


'  I 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


141 


quickly  raised  a  choppj-  and  dangerous  sea,  and  the  extensive 
mud  flats  inshore  would  have  made  a  landing  difficult.  When 
midway  across,  a  bumblebee  flew  past  my  canoe,  straight  from 
the  north,  toward  the  land,  over  two  miles  distant. 

As  we  approached  the  batturcs  be\ond  the  ba)',  we  were 
saluted  b)"  several  rifle  shots  fired  b)'  two  Eskimos,  whose  camp 
was  pitched  on  the  beach,  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  the  channels. 
They  were  living  in  a  new  wall  tent,  which  the)'  had  obtained 
from  the  whalers;  several  bags  of  flour,  as  much  as  some  north- 
ern posts  receive  for  a  Near'-S  allowance,  piled  under  an  over- 
turned omiak,  had  also  come  from  Herschel  Island.  A  quan- 
titj'of  fresh  caribou  meat  and  herringwas  hinging  on  a  scaffold 
near  b)';  the  woman  was  kneeling  before  a  wooden  vessel  of 
native  manufacture,  that  resembled  a  neatl\-made  peck  meas- 
ure, in  which  she  was  kneatling  dough.  Such  a  displa\'  of 
provision  and  the  salute  accorded  us  caused  us  to  land,  of 
course.  We  were  hospitabl)'  received  b\-  the  head  of  the  fam- 
ily, a  tall  ferocious  looking  fellow,  whose  natural  ugliness  was 
enhanced  b\'  the  presence  of  a  disc  labret,  as  large  as  a  silver 
dollar,  in  his  lower  lip. 

The  Indians  conversed  with  the  Eskimos  in  the  trade  jargon 
of  the  coast,  which  included  even  Kanaka  words  in  its  vocabu- 
larj".  We  learned  that  the)-  had  just  come  from  Herschel 
Island,  where  the"Yankee  ships  "had  been  left  firml\'  frozen  in. 

They  were  all  dressed  in  caribou  or  sealskin  garments.  Their 
well-made  and  serviceable  clothing  was  markedly  supt>rior  to 
the  tattered  and  inadequate  dress  of  the  Indians.  Like  man\' 
other  things  invented  by  the  Eskimo,  his  dress  is  superior  to 
any  which  the  white  man  can  give  him.  The  woman  wore  an 
artega,  so  broad  at  the  shoulders  that  she  could  draw  in  her 
arm  without  using  the  other  hand  to  assist  in  the  act.  I  was 
puzzled  at  first  sight  of  the  empty  sheve,  as  I  tiiought,  surel\-, 
she  cannot  be  one-armed,  but  the  mystery  was  explained  as  she 
thrust  out  the  arm  again  with  two  or  three  circling  flops  of  the 
sleeve,  still  keeping  the  other  hand  i-ngaged  with  the  kettles. 
The  short-skirted  artega  was  at  first  scarcely  distinguishable 
from  the  frock  worn  by  the  two  men,  father  and  son,  nor  could 
I  have  known  their  sex  from  their  maiuu-r;  the  woman  talked 
with  the  air  of  an  ecjual,  instead  of  maintaining  silence,  or  with 
the  slavish  behavior  of  the  Indian  women  in  the  presence  of 


142 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


f 


strangers.  Her  costume,  though  ultra  bicyclienne,  could  but 
impress  one  observing  such  an  entire  novelt)'  for  the  first  time, 
as  being  becoming  and  sensible.  Their  clothing  was  trimmed 
with  the  white-haired  Asiatic  reindeerskin,  carcajou  and  wolf- 
skin. 

The  two  younger  children  fried  the  bread,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  us,  in  a  pan  of  seal  oil  over  an  open  fire  of  drift- 
wood. The  cakes  were  of  the  usual  Eskimo  shape — oblong,  and 
perforated  with  three  pairs  of  holes.  As  soon  as  this  dough- 
nut-bread was  read)-,  we  were  invited  into  the  tightly-closed 
tent  where  we  succeeded  in  eating  one  meal  without  being  tor- 
mented by  the  ubiquitous  mosquitoes.  In  addition  to  venison 
and  bread,  we  were  given  syrup  and  coffee,  articles  quite  un- 
known in  the  interior;  the  Eskimos  of  that  coast  do  not  use  tea. 

As  we  reembarkeil.  the  woman  brought  some  venison  from 
the  stage  and  threw  into  each  canoe;  this  act  of  unsolicited  gen- 
erosit)'  but  completed  the  favorable  impression  which  their 
conduct  had  made.  The  Indian  treatment  would  have  begun 
with  begging  for  tea,  and  if  we  had  been  called  back  it  would 
have  been  for  the  purpose  of  begging  for  more  tea. 

Hy  wading  and  dragging  our  canoes  for  a  mile,  through  a 
shallow  channel,  we  avoided  a  long  detour  around  the  outl}ing 
reefs.  The  temperature  of  both  air  and  water  was  near  the 
freezing  point,  and  our  respect  for  the  vci\^\\  deep  had  changed 
to  profound  disgust  before  we  reached  deeper  water  again. 
We  early  encountered  more  serious  detentions  than  those 
caused  by  shoals.  A  north  wind  soon  drove  us  ashore,  where 
we  pitched  our  tent  on  low  ground,  with  nothing  but  water- 
soaked  fuel  to  be  had.  The  wind  kept  the  wet  logs  blazing, 
but  it  pierced  through  our  winter  clothing  and  made  the  half- 
clad  Loucheux  wish  that  they  were  within  the  shelter  of  the 
woods  again. 

The  Mackenzie  brings  down  immense  quantities  of  driftwood 
that  is  strewn  for  hundreds  of  miles  along  the  coast.  The 
largest  logs,  of  spruce  and  rough-barked  poplar,  come  from 
the  distant  Liard.  The  sand  beaches  of  the  coast  are  literally 
covered  with  the  white  trunks  from  which  the  bark  and  branches 
have  been  worn. 

The  volume  of  water  poured  out  by  the  Mackenzie  is  suffi- 
cient to  keep  the  sea  fresh  and  clear  of  ice  for  many  miles.    As 


DOWN    THE    MACKENZIE 


143 


we  passed  Escape  Reef,  the  scene  of  F 'anklin's  adventure  with 
the  then  numerous  Eskimos,  we  entered  the  salt  water  in  which 
we  first  encountered  ice.  The  floes  became  more  abundant  until 
we  found  ourselves  threading  our  way  through  a  narrow  chan- 
nel between  the  ice  pack  and  perpendicular,  frozen  mud  cliffs 
which  rose  lO  a  height  of  one  to  two  hundred  feet. 

The  "Glorious  Fourth"  was  ushered  in  by  the  sun  standing 
1°  and  43'  abov"  the  northern  horizon  at  midnight.  South  of  us 
the  loity,  snow-crowned  peaks  of  the  Rockies  formed  a  fitting 
background  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  that  I  have 
ever  witnessed.  The  gentl)'  rolling  hills  near  the  sea  were 
literally  covered  with  flowers,  though  ever)'  ravine  was  filled 
with  snow.  Along  the  beach  the  ice  was  piled  in  great  masses 
whc^re  it  had  been  driven  b>'  the  wind.  Along  the  northern 
horizon  the  floes  were  closcK'  packed,  the)'  floated  about  us, 
worn  into  a  variet)'  of  grotesque  forms  by  the  action  of  the 
waves.  A  faint  rosy  haze  hung  over  all  and  suffused  and  soft- 
ened the  harsh  details.  At  intervals,  we  passed  lagoons  inclosed 
b)'  barriers  of  sand  strewn  with  driftwood.  The  Eskimos 
have  encamped  for  ages  upon  these  beaches;  the  sites  of  even 
their  temporar)'  summer  camps  were  marked  b)'  cones  of  short 
logs  set  up  to  keep  the  wood  dr)'  or  out  of  the  snow.  The 
winter  settlement  of  Peockcha  at  .Shingle  Point  was  deserted, 
though  there  was  evidence  of  its  having  been  occupied  dur- 
ing the  previous  winter.  On  the  high  grounds,  back  of  these 
abandoned  camps,  were  oblong  heaps  of  driftwood,  erected 
over  the  remains  of  the  dead,  which  t  ould  not  easil)'  be  interred 
without  tools  for  digging  in  thi-  frozen  earth. 

During  the  night  of  the  4th  we  came  ii;)on  a  famil)'  of  white 
foxes,  close  to  the  water's  edge,  and  succeeded  in  capturing 
two  of  the  )  oung.  The  siffleux  were  ver)'  abundant,  their  note 
of  alarm  sounded  continually  from  the  cliffs  above  us.  '  iter- 
fowl  were  not  numerous,  and  our  fare  was  reduced  red- 
throated  loons  and  tea.  A  few  ravens  were  perched  a  at  the 
face  of  the  black  and  thawing  cliffs;  these  birds  w<  prob- 
ably attracted  by  the  carcasses  of  stranded  whales  Wnich  had 
drifted  in  from  the  whaling  grounds. 

We  found  a  part)'  of  natives  at  Warren  Point,  \  nose  new 
canvan  wall  tents  were  pitched  within  a  few  feet  of  the  sea.  The 
tide  rises  less  than  two  feet  on  that  coast,  and  the  presence  of 


['■ 


144 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


the  ice  field  at  that  season  presented  the  sea  from  being  driven 
in  b)-  storms.  They  had  no  kaiaks,  but  set  their  herring  nets 
with  the  aid  of  two  or  three  slender  poles  spliced  together,  one 
end  of  the  net  being  made  fast  ashore  and  the  other  pushed  out 
from  the  beach.  At  our  approach  the)-  talked  and  gesticulated 
in  an  animated  manner.  As  thc\'  walked  I  noticed  the  char- 
acteristic gait,  so  frequentl)"  mentioned,  and  usually  called 
"rolling," though  the  term  does  not  describe  it.  They  are  usu- 
ally considered  greatly  inferior  to  the  Indians  as  runners. 
The)'  are  a  seafaring  race,  who  hunt  caribou  in  summer  only, 
and  at  that  season  the  yielding  moss  would  tend  to  develop, 
rather  than  correct,  the  peculiarit)'  in  their  stride.  The  custom 
of  shaking  hands,  which  is  so  ceremoniousl}-  observed  by  the 
Indians,  was  treated  rather  as  a  joke  b}'  the  Eskimos;  they 
would  grasp  a  proffered  hand,  but  with  an  air  of  doing  so 
merely  to  oblige.  Some  of  the  men  were  of  tall  stature,  one  of 
them  must  have  exceeded  si.x  feet,  and  his  nose  was  quite 
prominent.'  The\-  were  "Anderson  River  Eskimos,"  from  the 
coast  east  of  the  Mackenzie.  The  dogs  at  this  camp  were  large 
and  well  fed.  The  curled  tails,  erect  ears,  and  heavy  coats 
indicated  the  pure  blood  Eskimo  dog.  The)'  were  black  in 
color  with  white  markings. 

On  the  fift'.i  a  strong  northwest  wind,  accompanied  by  rain 
and  snow,  prevented  traveling.  Eortunatel)-,  we  had  a  small 
tent  which  protected  the  Count  and  ni).  -'f  from  the  violence 
of  the  storm.  Tie  Indians  improvised  a  shelter  from  a  piece  of 
boat  canvas,  which  the)  stretched  over  drift  willow  sticks, 
arched  in  the  form  of  the  Loucheux  lodge,  which  resembles  an 
Eskimo  ice  hut  in  shape.  Ti\ey  crouched  under  this  low  roof 
and  passed  the  time  in  sleep  or  chattered  with  banter  and 
laughter  about  the  .lirange  sights  of  the  sea.  After  we  had 
been  dcla)ed  thirt)-six  hours,  the  wind  suddenly  shifted  to  the 
southward,  allowing  us  to  proceed.  We  had  to  make  quick 
work  of  loading  the  canoes  to  avoid  being  nipped  b)-  the  floes, 
which  were  driven  rapidl)'  along  b)  a  strong  tide.  The  ice  had 
accumulated  during  our  halt,  so  that  further  progress  wa.-.  'in- 
possible  .intil  the  change  of  wind  again  drove  it  offshore. 

'"11  cht  parmi  eux  des  hommes  fort  >,'rands,  muis  la  tailledes  femmes  est 
g^nt'r.',kMueiU  petite."     Petitot,  Moiioiryaphr,  p.  4. 

Compare  Kelly,  Arctic  Eskimos  in  Alaska  and  Siberia,  p.  15. 


DOWN    THE    MACKENZIE 


H5 


There  was  still  a  heavy  sea  runniii}^  as  we  passed  Ka\-  Point, 
where  the  deepest  soundiiifTs  of  the  entire  coast  arc  foiuul,  and 
we  rounded  the  point  with  no  little  difficulty  and  dan^'cr. 
Twenty  mi'es  to  the  northwestward,  the  rollinjf  hills  of  Her- 
schel  Island,  risinj:^  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  were  plainly 
visible.  All  about  us  were  scattered  the  j^rounded  floes,  worn  in 
arched  hollows,  in  which  the  waves  beat  in  reverberatinj^ 
monotony.  A  few  yards  from  shore  the  unbroken  ice  of  winter 
extended  beyond  the  limits  of  our  view. 

Phillips  Bay  is  partly  enclosed  by  a  narrow  sandspit  upon 
which  is  situated  the  permanent  Eskimo  settlement  of  Tekara. 
The  inhabitants  were  then  living  in  their  summer  tents.  We 
were  scarcely  able  to  reach  this  camp  before  the  wind,  now  on 
our  bows,  compelled  us  to  land.  The  Eskimos  asked  us  to 
enter  their  tents,  which  were  comparative!}' clean  antl  comfort- 
able, but  smelled  stronglj*  of  the  rancid  whale  oil, or  oakchoak, 
which  taints  everything  that  an  Eskimo  even  touches.  Four  or 
five  recentl) -killed  seals  were  being  cared  for,  and  fish  seemed 
to  be  abundant.  One  old  man  kept  a  constant  lookout  with  a 
long  glass  for  seals.  Coffee,  flour  and  syrup  from  the  whaling 
vessels  were  used  b)'  ever}-  family.  In  twenty-four  hours  the 
sea  again  fell  so  that  we  reached  the  mainland,  where  we  were 
stopped  by  the  ice  field,  which  was  grounded  '  i  '^ore  and  in 
places  piled  high  upon  the  beach.  The  tentwa^  :gain  pitched 
on  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  a  mountain  creek  that  supplied  us 
with  fresh  water.  Every  gully  was  full  of  hardened  snow  which 
looked  as  if  it  would  last  through  the  summer. 

While  the  men  slept  I  examined  the  graves  on  the  brow  of  the 
hill  overlooking  the  camp.  In  one  of  such  great  age  that  the 
logs  were  scarcely  distinguishable,  and  the  skull  was  disarticu- 
lated, I  found  a  pair  of  marble  labrets  of  the  iwial  stud-shaped 
pattern.  An  oniiak  and  two  kaiak  frames,  kumotiks.  a  repeat- 
ing rifle,  bows,  arrows,  harpoons,  ornaments,  amulets,  cooking 
utensils,  etc.,  were  l>'ing  beside  the  graves.  When  I  returned 
to  camp  I  found  the  two  men  quietl}-  sleeping  in  a  tarpaulin, 
which  was  burning  in  several  places;  the  wind  had  changed  to 
the  westward  and  carried  sparks  from  the  fire  upon  their  cover- 
ing. They  were  chagrined  at  the  predicament  in  which  they 
found  themselves,  but  as  long  as  the\-  escaped  with  a  whole 
skin,  "coca" — never  mind. 


10 


146 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


As  the  wind  rose  the  whole  ice  field  moved  fifteen  to  twenty 
yards  from  shore,  enabling  us  to  proceed  b)- making  occasional 
portages  over  narrow  barriers  of  jammed  ice.  The  field  was 
marked  by  pits  and  channels,  a  few  inches  in  depth,  some  of 
which  were  deep  enough  to  be  utilized  in  passing  obstructed 
points.  .Several  times  I  attempted  to  pass  through  such  a  chan- 
nel, only  to  find  the  bottom  covered  with  mud  which  gave  it  a 
false  appearance  of  depth,  and  to  have  the  CJtroe  strike  hard 
and  fast.  The  rough  and  jagged  ice  soon  wore  away  the  gum 
from  the  seams,  but  with  care  the  bark  itself  escaped  injur)-. 
After  five  hours'  paddling  we  reached  a  large  settlement  of 
natives,  situated  upon  the  mainland,  twelve  miles  south  of  the 
harbor.  They  assured  us  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  reach 
the  island,  and  that  we  might  as  well  camp  with  them  for  a  few 
V.'  .ys.  One  look  at  them  was  enough  to  convince  me  that  we 
had  better  move  on  if  possible.  The>'  were  dressed  in  the  most 
grotesque  costumes,  and  their  dissipated  looks  ditl  not  tend  to 
ins[)ire  confidence.  Those  who  wor*'  the  native  frocks  kept 
their  hoods,  bordered  with  long  wolf  hair,  drawn  closely  about 
their  faces  to  protect  them  from  the  attacks  of  the  swarms  of 
mosquitoes.  One  of  the  men  wore  a  new  sombrero  with  a  very 
broad  brim.  Others  had  miscellaneous  odds  and  ends  com- 
bined with  their  native  costumes,  with  the  effect  on  the  beholder 
of  liaving  discarded  a  portion  of  their  apparel  and  substituted 
an  incongruous  textile  fabric  to  mark  the  loss.  Several  wore 
tight-fitting,  red  flannel  drawers  over  their  deerskin  trousers. 

We  continued  a  few  miles  along  the  shore,  finding  progress 
more  and  more  difficult,  until  we  reached  the  long  projecting 
sandspit  wl.ich  extends  to  within  a  mile  of  a  similar  bar  from 
the  southeastern  point  of  Herschel  Island.  After  searching  for 
some  time  to  find  a  passage  through  the  closel)-packed  floes, 
with  much  chopping  and  pushing  to  clear  our  way,  and  with 
some  portaging,  we  reached  the  island,  where  we  found  the  ice 
firml}'  jammed  against  the  cliffs,  and  further  progress  toward 
the  harbor,  seven  miles  distant,  impossible.  We  could,  of 
course,  now  travel  overland,  but  as  we  were  quite  exhausted 
with  thirt)-six  hours'  work  without  sleep,  we  sought  first  to 
obtain  a  little  rest  before  continuing. 

We  ate  our  last  bread  and  a  bit  of  cold  loon,  set  up  our  mos- 
quito canopies  on  the  sand,  and  were  soon  soundly  sleeping. 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


147 


The  midday  sun  shone  directly  upon  us,  the  mosquitoes  added 
their  vicious  and  irritating  hum  to  the  oiviik  tchoivdk  of  the 
waves  in  the  hollows  and  the  j^rinding  of  the  floes  t.:-  the  tidal 
currents  mov'ed  them. 

It  is  said  to  be  more  difficult  to  sleep  upon  sand  than  upon 
rock.  I  could  see  little  difference  myself,  but  we  slept  very 
soundly,  nevertheless,  for  two  hours,  when  Tothin  awakened  us 
with  the  information  that  the  ice  was  moving.  We  were  not  in 
a  mood  to  care  if  Herschel  Island  were  adrift  and  were  not 
pleased  to  find  the  barrier  as  firm  as  ever.  The  wind  was  blow- 
ing from  a  favorable  quarter  and  increasing,  so  that  the  ice  field, 
which  a  few  }ards  out  was  not  >et  broken  up,  soon  moved 
enough  to  form  a  narrow  lane  at  the  base  of  the  cliffs,  through 
which  we  beat  our  way  against  the  gusts  of  wind  and  rain 
which  came  whirling  down  the  gulches  of  the  rugged  coast. 
At  midnight,  Jul)-  8th,  we  were  within  six  hundred  >ards  of  the 
vessels,  which  were  l>ing  close  together  near  the  beach.  They 
were  held  at  their  anchorage  b\'  heav\'  floes,  driven  in  by  the 
ice  field.  We  could  neither  land  upon  the  muddy  precipice  nor 
continue  farther  with  the  canoes;  a  kumotik  was  sent  to  our 
rcjcue,  upon  which  the  baggage  was  placed  b)-  a  half  dozen 
Eskimos  and  sailors.  I  could  not  have  believed  it  possible  for 
men  to  walk  over  such  ice  as  we  traversed  before  reaching  the 
vessels.  Two  or  three  of  the  men  missed  their  footing  in 
jumping  on  the  loose  floes  and  were  ducked  in  three  fathoms 
of  water.  The  Count  and  I  wore  common  leather  shoes,  which 
were  not  so  well  adapted  to  use  upon  the  ice  as  the  flexible 
soled  Eskimo  boots  worn  by  the  sailors,  and  our  wild  leaps  must 
have  been  highly  amusing  to  the  spectators.  We  were  hospita- 
bl)'  received  on  board  the  bark  "  Halaena  "by  the  assembled  offi- 
cers of  the  fleet.     We  brought  them  news  only  five  months  old. 

The  journe}'  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  had  occupied 
eight  days;  had  we  had  a  boat,  instead  of  the  light  canoes,  we 
could  have  easily  reached  the  island  in  three  dajs.  Sir  John 
Franklin,  who  was  the  first  white  man  to  explore  that  coast, 
reached  Herschel  Island  on  the  17th  of  Jul}',  1826,  ten  days  out 
from  the  Mackenzie.  His  party  had  two  boats, one  twenty-four 
and  the  other  twenty-six  feet  in  length.  Dease  and  Simpson,  in 
1837,  left  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  on  the  9th  of  Jul\-  and 
reached  Herschel  Island  on  the  14th.     They  were  traveling  in 


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148 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


two  clinker-built  boats  of  twenty-four  foot  keel.  In  1850  Lieu- 
tenant Pullen  passed  the  island  on  the  22nd  of  August  and 
entered  the  river  on  the  27th. 

We  had  reached  the  island  just  in  time.  The  two  heaviest 
steamers  had  been  "bucking"  the  ice  during  the  preceding  day 
and  had  nearly  reached  the  point  of  the  bar  enclosing  the 
harbor.  Toward  the  northeast  the  sea  was  open,  and  a  whale- 
boat  had  been  sent  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  to  meet  the 
Count,  but  had  been  turned  back  by  the  ice  encountered  there. 
During  the  night  of  the  loth  a  second  and  successful  attempt 
was  made  to  escape  from  the  imprisoning  floes.  Each  captain 
took  his  place  in  the  crow's  nest  at  the  foremast  head,  whence 
the  whole  field  of  ice  could  be  seen.  The  "  Balaena "  and 
"  Narwhal "  were  the  heaviest  vessels,  and  consequently  the 
most  successful  in  their  attacks  upon  the  ice  which  was  tightly 
held  at  the  extremity  of  the  sandspit,  I  was  on  board  one  of 
the  vessels  as  she  worked  her  way  around.  The  ice  was  broken 
by  the  weight  of  the  vessels  and  not  by  the  shock.  The  bow 
would  rise  until  the  ice  could  no  longer  sustain  the  weight, 
when  it  settled  and  the  vessel  would  back  off  for  another  blow. 
By  2  A.  M.  on  the  nth,  the  last  vessel  was  anchored  outside 
and  the  crews  sent  to  bring  off  the  whaleboats,  which  had  been 
lying  on  the  beach.  An  hour  later  the  last  steamer  had  disap- 
peared in  the  fogs  toward  the  eastward.  They  were  on  their 
way  to  the  whaling  grounds  between  Richard's  Island  and  Cape 
Bathurst,  where,  during  the  preceding  summer,  they  had  made 
the  greatest  catch  in  the  history  of  Arctic  whaling,  the  "  Nar- 
whal" having  taken  sixty-four  bowhead  whales,  the  "Balaena" 
sixty-two,  and  the  others  from  nine  to  forty  each.  The  sea 
had  been  unusually  open  during  the  summer  of  1893;  one  of 
the  vessels  had  followed  the  coast  of  Banks'  Land  for  some 
distance  to  the  northward  without  encountering  ice. 

A  few  buildings  have  been  erected  on  the  sandspit  which 
encloses  Pauline  Harbor,  in  which  to  store  whalebone  and  sup- 
plies. Three  men  were  left  to  guard  this  property  from  fire, 
the  natives  who  remained  about  the  place  being  quite  indiffer- 
ent to  the  fact  that  their  camp  fires  were  built  within  a  few  feet 
of  half  a  million  dollars  worth  of  whalebone. 

The  officer  in  charge  of  the  station,  Captain  E.  C.  Murray, 
went  on  board  the  "  Balaena  "  for  the  summer,  so  that  the  men 


ea. 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


149 


could  not  leave  their  post;  there  were  no  Eskimos  to  be  hired, 
so  that  I  was  obliged  to  go  alone  if  I  visited  the  mainland. 

There  were  only  a  few  species  of  birds  to  be  found  about  the 
station,  I  was  desirous  of  securing  specimens  of  ptarmigan  in 
summer  plumage,  but  there  were  none  to  be  found  upon  the 
island,  where  they  had  been  abundant  during  the  winter. 

It  rained  or  snowed  frequently  and  continual  fogs  made  out- 
door work  very  unpleasant.  Two  days  after  the  departure  of 
the  vessels  there  was  not  a  cake  of  ice  left  in  the  harbor,  but 
the  ice  field  was  unbroken  west  of  the  island. 

On  the  19th  I  started  for  the  mainland  in  a  heavy  dingy.  I 
had  to  reef  the  leg-o'-mutton  sail  before  the  steady  breeze  which 
was  carrying  me  rapidly  toward  the  point  of  the  island.  To 
my  consternation  I  discovered  after  an  hour's  sailing  that  the 
ice  floes  had  gathered  along  shore,  forming  a  barrier  three  or 
four  hundred  yards  in  width;  and  a  field  of  solid  ice  prevented 
me  from  sailing  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  point.  I  was 
being  driven  into  a  pocket  from  which  it  was  impossible  to 
beat  my  way  in  the  flat-bottomed  dingy.  There  was  nothing 
to  do  but  run  into  the  tossing  and  grinding  floes  and  at  least 
make  my  own  escape,  if  the  boat  should  be  crushed.  Running 
in  between  two  floes,  each  about  twenty  yards  in  diameter,  I 
succeeded  in  getting  the  bow  of  the  boat  upon  one  of  them 
before  it  was  nipped.  After  two  hours'  hard  work  I  reached 
the  beach,  having  to  cut  footholes  and  drag  the  boat  over  the 
ice  one  end  at  a  time.  I  had  landed  at  the  debouchure  of  a  little 
coulee,  twenty  yards  in  width,  in  the  bottom  of  which  there 
was  sufficient  driftwood  for  fuel.  On  each  side  the  overhang- 
ing walls  of  snow  and  ice  rose  to  a  height  of  sixty  fee*^.  The 
next  day  showed  no  change  in  the  condition  of  the  ice.  I  could 
not  launch  the  boat,  so  the  day  was  spent  in  examining  the 
abandoned  Eskimo  village  at  the  southern  point  of  the  island. 
The  remains  of  two  other  ancient  settlements  exist  at  the  harbor 
and  at  the  southwestern  extremity  of  the  island.  The  wretched 
hovels,  built  of  driftwood,  covered  with  earth,  stood  on  the 
low,  sandy  beach.  After  the  departure  of  the  few  families 
which  had  occupied  them  the  previous  winter,  the  huts  had 
filled  with  snow  through  the  open  roofs.  The  floor  was  of 
earth,  the  walls  of  unhewn  logs.  The  low  entrance-ways  were 
caving  in  and  filled  with  water  or  ice. 


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150 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


The  gale,  accompanied  by  frequent  showers  of  rain,  contin- 
ued during  the  third  day.  The  ice  was  rapidly  breaking  up  and 
disappearing,  not  drifting  away,  but  being  pounded  out  of 
existence  by  the  heavy  seas.  The  main  field  was  four  feet  in 
thickness  and  several  square  miles  in  extent.  Small  bergs,  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  were  driven  into  this,  and  they  too  were 
soon  transformed  into  seawater.  I  occupied  a  part  of  the  day 
in  baking  bread  in  the  frying  pan  before  a  fire  of  wet  logs  and 
concluded  that  a  sandy  beach  and  a  strong  wind  is  not  a  happy 
combination  for  open  air  baking.  On  the  22nd  I  reached  the 
southwestern  extremity  of  the  island,  about  seven  miles  distant. 
I  could  not  reach  the  mainland  owing  to  the  extensive  mud- 
flats, which  the  low  tide  exposed,  but  camped  for  the  night  on 
the  narrow  sandbar  which  extends  three  miles  from  that  extrem- 
ity of  the  island.  The  day  following  the  wind  was  blowing  too 
strong  for  the  dingy  to  weather  it,  and  I  did  not  get  away  until 
evening,  when  I  rowed  westward  along  the  fringing  reefs,  which 
extend  with  little  interruption  to  Point  Barrow.  I  halted  at  a 
high  island  of  only  a  few  acres  extent,  where  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  property  of  a  band  of  Eskimos,  who  were  hunt- 
ing caribou  inland,  was  lying  upon  stages.  I  was  opposite  the 
mouth  of  a  large  creek  which  flowed  through  a  gap  in  the 
mountains,  ten  or  twelve  miles  distant.  The  stream  had  spread 
in  its  rapid  descent  over  several  miles  of  plain,  across  which 
running  water  appeared  in  at  least  fifty  shallow  channels. 
With  a  canoe,  I  could  have  ascended  this  without  great  diffi- 
culty, but  I  found  it  impossible  to  drag  the  heavy  boat  more 
than  five  miles  through  the  shallow  rapids.  I  saw  but  few  cari- 
bou, and  they  kept  well  out  on  the  level  ground,  where  there 
was  not  even  a  creeping  shrub  to  afford  cover  in  stalking.  I 
watched  them  for  some  time  with  the  field  glasses  and  noted 
the  fact  that  they  seemed  to  be  greatly  annoyed  by  insects. 
They  were  then  clothed  in  the  short  summer  hair  and  the  ant- 
lers of  the  males  were  of  large  size. 

Returning  to  the  eastward,  I  camped  on  the  mainland  and 
spent  the  next  ten  days  in  collecting  birds.  I  saw  no  ptarmigan, 
though  they  had  been  common  between  the  Mackenzie  and 
Kay  Point.  Red-throated  loons  and  cacawees  were  the  most 
abundant  of  the  water  birds.  Ravens  were  common,  perhaps 
attracted  by  the  carcasses  of  whales,  seven  of  which  were  within 


DOWN   THE   MACKENZIE 


151 


five  miles  of  the  camp.  Sparrows  and  longspurs  were  every- 
where abundant.  I  collected  a  few  siffleux,  one  of  which  I 
boiled  to  test  the  quality  of  its  flesh;  it  tasted  much  as  a  house 
rat  looks.  The  almost  continual  rain  and  fog  made  camping 
alone  with  a  boat  sail  for  shelter  very  monotonous.  During  the 
last  two  days  the  mosquitoes  were  unusually  vicious  and  in  such 
numbers  that  they  obscured  the  color  of  my  clothing  and  sur- 
roundings with  their  gray-hued  legions. 

During  my  absence  one  of  the  vessels  had  returned  to  repair 
a  rudder,  which  had  been  broken  in  the  ice.  The  officers  de- 
clared that  the  ice  was  heavier  and  more  abundant  than  they 
had  ever  known  it  to  be  before.  They  could  not  advance 
beyond  Pelly  Island,  where  one  vessel  had  been  driven  ashore 
but  had  been  hauled  off  without  serious  injury.  No  whales  had 
been  seen.  Point  Barrow  natives,  whom  they  had  established  on 
Bailey  Island,  had  not  secured  any  whales  during  the  spring. 
There  seemed  to  be  some  doubt  among  the  officers  of  the  island 
fleet  as  to  whether  or  not  the  outside  fleet  would  succeed  in 
passing  the  reefs,  midway  between  the  island  and  Point  Bar- 
row, where  the  ice  always  lies  close  inshore,  and,  it  is  said,  does 
not  during  some  seasons  open  sufficiently  to  allow  a  vessel  to 
pass  at  all,  although  the  whalers  have  reached  Mackenzie  Bay 
each  summer  since  1889.  During  that  year  the  United  States 
Steamship  "Thetis"  visited  Herschel  Island  and  examined  the 
harbors  at  the  eastern  and  southern  capes.  Though  Pauline 
harbor  is  half  a  mile  in  length,  the  extent  of  good  anchoring 
ground  does  not  exceed  an  area  four  hundred  yards  long  by 
three  hundred  wide. 

On  the  8th  of  August  signal  smokes  on  the  mainland  an- 
nounced the  arrival  of  the  Rat  Indians  who  annually  visit  the 
island  with  dried  meat  and  skins.  The  Eskimos  went  to  meet 
them  with  a  whaleboat. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  August  19th  a  steam  launch  arrived, 
which  had  been  despatched  from  Return  Reef,  where  the  out- 
side fleet  had  been  stopped  by  the  ice.  Captain  Ellis  reported 
the  loss  of  the  bark  "Reindeer,"  which  had  been  driven  ashore 
by  the  ice.  He  had  killed  three  polar  bears  while  working 
through  the  ice,  one  of  which  he  presented  to  the  University  of 
Iowa. 

At  I  p.  M.  the  first  steamer  hove  in  sight  around  the  northern 


Mr-^n 


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,  Air    i:'i 


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152 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


headland,  to  be  followed  twenty  minutes  later  by  another.  Over 
a  dozen  vessels  came  in,  attracted  by  the  remarkably  success- 
ful catch  that  had  been  made  during  the  summer  of  '93.  In 
that  year  the  first  vessel  arrived  at  the  island  on  the  24th,  and 
in  1892  on  the  19th,  of  August.  On  the  23rd  the  **Jeanie," 
drawing  over  three  fathoms,  arrived  with  supplies  for  the  ves- 
sels that  were  to  spend  a  second  winter  at  the  island. 

On  the  30th  day  of  August  I  left  Herschel  Island  upon  the 
brig-rigged  whaling  steamer  "Jeanette,"  Captain  E.  W.  Newth. 
We  wer(»  to  proceed  at  once  to  Wrangel  Island,  for  a  month's 
whaling,  before  starting  homeward.  We  cruised  along  the  edge 
of  the  ice  field,  to  which  we  sometimes  anchored  at  night  if  the 
wind  permitted.  Nearly  every  day  the  boats  were  lowered  for 
whales,  but  without  success. 

The  temperature  ranged  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  degrees 
during  the  night,  when  large  quantities  of  ice  formed  upon  the 
rigging.  We  were  almost  continually  enveloped  in  fog  or  kept 
inside  by  rain  and  snow.  On  the  5th  and  6th  of  September  we 
were  pitched  and  tossed  by  a  northerly  gale  which  threatened 
to  close  the  ice  in  between  us  and  Point  Barrow.  On  the  7th 
we  steamed  all  day  among  favorable  leads,  only  to  find  in  the 
evening  that  we  had  run  into  a  pocket  from  which  all  haste  was 
made  to  escape,  and  we  steamed  all  night  to  get  back  again  to 
open  water. 

On  the  9th  we  fell  in  with  three  other  vessels,  also  pushing 
westward.  We  "gammed" — visited  with  their  captains,  during 
the  day  as  we  steamed  through  a  quiet  sea.  On  the  morning 
of  the  loth  we  reached  Point  Barrow,  the  northernmost  point 
of  Alaska,  situated  in  latitude  71°  23'  N.,  longitude  156°  40' 
W.,  west  of  which  the  sea  does  not  close  until  October.  The 
inside  fleet  is  beset  at  Herschel  Island  a  month  earlier.  Two 
whaling  companies  have  stations  located  at  Cape  Smythe,  the 
nearest  high  ground,  twelve  miles  southwest  of  the  Point. 

During  the  summer  of  '94  the  whalers  had  been  unusually 
successful  ?nd  had  taken  twenty-one  thousand  pounds  of  whale- 
bone. There  is  also  a  government  refuge  station  maintained  at 
the  Cape  for  Uie  benefit  of  the  whalers. 

A  Mr.  Browcr,  who  had  spent  seven  years  in  the  country,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  whaling  crews,  said  that  with  his  party  of 
natives  he  had  killed  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  caribou  that 


DOWN   THE   MACKENZIE 


153 


summer.  While  inland,  he  had  seen  "fifty  musk-ox  skulls." 
The  oldest  Eskimos  say  that  their  fathers  hunted  musk-ox  but 
there  were  no  caribou  then.  In  a  large  lake,  south  of  Cape 
Halket,  which  had  but  a  single  outlet  to  the  sea, through  which 
no  large  fish  could  pass,  he  declared  there  were  large  shark-like 
fish,  which  exceeded  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  that  he  had 
himself  seen  their  bones  in  abundance  upon  the  beach,  but  had 
never  heard  of  this  species  in  the  sea  or  in  any  other  lake. 

Near  Cape  Lisburne,a  few  miles  down  the  coast,  coal  is  found, 
and  in  the  accompanying  strata,  fossil  "leaves,  birds,  tracks, 
bones  and  shells  are  abundant."  South  of  that  point  fossil 
trees  are  said  to  be  common.  The  country  about  Point  Barrow 
is  a  barren,  gently  rolling  tundra,  with  no  mountains  in  sight. 

We  left  Point  Barrow  on  the  morning  of  September  nth  and 
steamed  through  loose  pack  ice  for  the  next  four  days.  We  fre- 
quently felt  a  shock  as  the  vesi^el  struck  an  ice  floe,  because  of 
the  narrowness  of  the  lead  or  the  indifference  of  the  officer  in 
the  crow's  nest,  who  usually  gave  the  command  "port"  or 
"starboard"  in  time  to  veer  away  from  the  ice.  On  the  i8th 
we  were  tossed  and  rolled  by  an  arctic  gale,  which  drove  the 
Count  and  myself  to  our  bunks  and  added  to  the  general  dis- 
content of  the  officers  and  crew.  Day  after  day  the  boats  had 
been  lowered,  but  without  killing  a  whale.  Only  one  had  been 
taken  during  the  summer,  to  the  eastward  of  Herschel  Island. 

On  the  19th  Herald  Island  was  sighted.  This  island  is  only 
six  miles  long  by  two  wide,  and  is  one  thousand  feet  high. 
Twenty-five  miles  west  of  it  is  Wrangel  Land,  an  island  seventy- 
five  miles  long  by  twenty-five  wide,  and  having  peaks  exceed- 
ing two  thousand  feet  in  height.  These  islands  were  discovered 
by  the  English  discovery  ship  "  Herald,"  on  the  17th  of  August, 
1849.1 

On  the  2ist  and  22nd  we  rode  out  another  gale.  A  cold, 
which  I  had  contracted  at  Herschel  Island,  had  grown  steadily 
worse,  and  I  had  little  strength  left  to  "hang  on"  as  the  vessel 
rolled.  The  next  three  days  saw  us  tossed  in  cross  seas.  Snow 
every  day  and  frequent  fogs  prevented  successful  whaling.  On 
the  26th  we  ran  into  an  immense  school  of  whales,  "  Over  a 
hundred  in  sight!"     The  five  boats  were  lowered  at  7  a.  m.  and 


i:i 


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*  British  Arctic  Blue  Book,  Vol.  35,  p.  9. 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


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were  out  ten  hours.  The  second  mate  struck  a  whale  which 
capsized  the  boat,  but  the  crew  were  rescued  by  another  boat. 
The  whale  sank  and  was  lost.  The  vessel  was  kept  on  two 
hour  tacks  during  the  night  and  in  the  morning  the  whale, 
which  had  risen  to  the  surface  was  discovered.  I  then  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  a  whale  "  cut  in."  The  process  occupied 
all  hands  for  four  hours. 

That  afternoon  we  passed  two  walrus,  the  first  seen  that  sea- 
son. Observations  taken  that  afternoon  showed  that  we  were 
northwest  of  Herald  Island  in  the  lead  which  the  exploring 
steamer  "Jeannette  "  had  entered  in  1879.  The  current  which 
had  carried  that  vessel  so  far  after  she  was  beset  had  caused 
our  vessel  to  drift  fifty  miles  toward  the  northwest  in  the  last 
four  days. 

On  the  28th  the  young  ice  covered  the  surface  of  the  water 
in  broad,  flaky  patches.  Steaming  to  the  northward  we  en- 
countered the  pack  in  latitude  72°  10'  N. 

During  the  night  of  October  1st  there  were  several  whales 
close  to  the  vessel,  their  presence  being  shown  by  the  flashing 
phosphorescence  and  the  sound  made  by  their  flukes  striking 
the  water.  Nearly  every  night  while  in  the  western  Arctic  I 
noticed  the  brilliant  phosphorescence  of  the  water  in  the  wake 
ot  the  vessel.  On  the  2nd  the  temperature  fell  to  ten  degrees 
below  the  freezing  point.  Owing  to  the  cold  and  rough  weather 
Captain  Newth  decided  not  to  wait  until  the  loth,  the  usual 
date  of  departure,  before  starting  homeward,  but  on  the  5th  to 
the  joy  of  everyone  on  board  the  prow  was  turned  toward  the 
Straits  and  all  sail  was  set.  On  the  8th  five  hawks  rested  for 
some  time  in  the  rigging.  They  had  probably  been  blown  off 
from  the  Alaskan  coast  by  the  easterly  wind  of  the  preceding 
day.  We  reached  East  Cape  on  the  loth,  where  a  few  natives 
were  landed  with  their  belongings.  The  Eskimo  settlement  is 
situated  at  the  extremity  of  the  rugged  headland;  the  low  earth 
covered  hovels  cling  to  the  steep  slope  like  the  nests  of  barn 
swallows.  Three  omiaks  filled  with  men  came  off  to  the 
"  Jeanette  "  which  drifted  rapidly  in  the  strong  tide.  While 
they  remained  on  board  the  light  skin  boats  beat  against  their 
fenders  of  inflated  sealskin  without  injury,  where  an  ordinary 
whaleboat  would  have  been  dashed  to  pieces. 

The  mountains,  which  rise  abruptly  from  the  beach,  were 


4 


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DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


155 


covered  with  snow.  Toward  the  southeast  the  bluish  white 
rocks,  known  as  the  Diomede  Islands,  were  sharply  outlined 
against  the  sunlit  masses  of  vapor  which  concealed  the  Ameri- 
can coast  from  view. 

On  leaving  the  cape  our  course  was  shaped  for  Cape  Tchap- 
lin,  or  Indian  Point,  as  it  is  known  among  the  whalers,  situated 
a  hundred  miles  farther  down  the  Asiatic  coast.  We  reached  the 
Point  on  the  morning  of  the  nth,  and  spent  the  day  anchored 
off  the  long  low  sandspit,  upon  which  the  settlement  stands, 
engaged  in  trading  for  whalebone  and  walrus  ivory  with  the 
natives,  who  came  aboard  in  such  numbers  as  to  fill  the  cabin 
and  cover  the  decks. 

Their  ch  f,  Gohara,  was  among  their  number.  He  was  a  dig- 
nified and  intelligent  looking  man  and  had  little  to  say,  even 
in  trading.  He  is  said  to  possess  a  herd  of  reindeer,  whale- 
boats  and  trading  goods  amounting  in  all — valued  at  San  Fran- 
cisco prices — to  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Considerable  quantities  of  alcohol  and  other  liquors  have 
been  distributed  among  these  people,  though  the  nefarious  traf- 
fic is  now  about  suppressed.  The  natives  have  been  "  educated  " 
until  they  are  nearly  a  match  for  the  whisky  trader.  The  chief 
will  no  longei  ouy  a  demijohn  of  alcohol  without  testing  it  from 
the  bottom.  He  remembers  the  time  when  he  drank  the  first 
draft  from  the  vessel  and  became  very  "molly  kelly" — drunk, 
while  his  followers  quenched  their  own  overpowering  thirst  with 
the  water  on  which  a  pint  of  alcohol  had  been  carefully  poured. 
Captain  Murray  told  me  that  he  had  once  purchased  two  bun- 
dles of  whalebone,  of  a  native  of  that  coast,  in  which  two  heavy 
iron  bars  were  concealed.  When  t'e  trick  was  discovered,  the 
thrifty  Eskimo  laughed  and  said,  "alle  same  white  man!" 

An  unusually  large  and  handsome  polar  bearskin  was  brought 
on  board  which  had  been  dressed  in  such  a  manner  that  it  could 
be  mounted.   This  I  succeeded  in  purchasing  for  the  University. 

We  set  sail  in  the  evening  with  a  fair  wind  which  carried  us 
across  Behring  Sea  in  four  days.  The  Aleutian,  or  Fox, 
Islands  as  they  are  known  to  the  whalers,  were  passed  on  the 
14th  of  October.  The  volcanic  peaks  on  either  hand  were 
obscured  by  snow  squalls  until  we  were  fairly  within  the  pass 
of  Unimak,  when  the  clouds  lifted  sufficiently  to  reveal  the 
sterile  and  forbidding  coasts. 


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156 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


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The  waters  of  the  Pacific  were  noticeably  darker  than  those 
of  the  shallow,  muddy  seas  which  we  had  left.  The  officers 
took  great  pleasure  in  relating  yarns  describing  incredible 
achievements  in  arctic  navigation,  especially  in  the  presence  of 
the  Count,  who  was  an  experienced  navigator,  and  who  had  no 
patience  with  the  rule-of-thumb  methods  of  many  of  the  old 
whaling  captains.     For  example,  "there  was  old  Captain  Silas 

B who,  when  he  left  the  whaling  ground,  headed  straight 

for  the  American  coast,  from  this  he  shaped  his  course  for 
Behring  Straits.  When  he  decided  by  the  log  that  he  had 
passed  this,  if  the  thick  weather  or  darkness  obscured  the  land, 
he  steered  for  "seventy-two"  (Amukta)  Pass  and,  if  he  sighted 
no  land  there,  he  turned  toward  San  Francisco  as  soon  as  he 
struck  blue  water!" 

The  run  of  two  thousand  miles  to  the  Golden  Gate  was  a 
stormy  one.  During  one  of  the  gales  the  order  to  "heave  to  " 
came  too  late,  and  one  of  the  quarter  boats  was  swept  away  as 
if  it  had  been  held  by  pack  thread  instead  of  lashed  as  securely 
as  hemp  could  hold  it.  There  was  no  place  for  me  to  sleep 
except  on  the  cabin  sofa  which  extended  athwart  ships.  If  I 
was  awakened  during  the  night  and  found  my  heels  two  feet 
higher  than  my  head,  to  which  the  blood  had  rushed,  I  knew 
that  we  were  sailing  on  the  other  tack!  When  the  ship  came 
about  I  had  to  tack  also.  The  vessel  was  very  small  and  the 
North  Pacific,  or  the  Arctic  itself,  in  October,  has  no  mercy  on 
such  craft.  The  mal  de  mer  claimed  both  the  Count  and  my- 
self for  its  own.  The  change  from  the  simple  diet  and  active 
life  of  the  northern  voyageur  to  the  more  palatable  though  less 
wholesome  food,  and  the  confinement  on  shipboard  for  two 
months,  greatly  reduced  our  strength. 

When  the  weather  permitted,  the  crew  was  employed  in 
washing  and  bundling  whalebone.  The  crow's  nest  was  taken 
down,  and  the  top-gallant  and  royal  yards  returned  to  their 
proper  place  which  the  lookout  box  had  occupied  while  the 
vessel  had  been  in  Arctic  seas. 

Day  by  day  the  temperature  rose,  until  the  26th,  which  was 
the  warmest  experienced  that  year.  On  that  day  the  worn  fur 
garments  of  both  officers  and  men  went  over  the  rail,  and 
creased  and  wrinkled  clothing  which  had  been  packed  away  for 
twenty  months  was  substituted. 


DOWN   THE    MACKENZIE 


157 


We  entered  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  early  on  the  27th  of 
October.  The  morning  sun  rose  from  behind  the  eastern 
mountains  upon  a  scene  of  beauty  which  to  our  eyes,  so  *  "-g 
accustomed  to  snow  and  ice  fields,  seemed  like  a  glimpse  of 
heaven.  On  either  side  of  the  narrow  entrance  the  rugged 
hills  rose  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  where  the  heavy 
ground  swc'i  broke  in  long  lines  of  sparkling  foam  against  the 
dark  cliffs.  How  different  the  green  hillsides,  dotted  with 
trees,  viewed  through  the  balmy  air  of  a  perfect  day,  from  the 
barren,  fog-enveloped,  and  snow-covered  mountains  of  the 
Aleutian  Islands  which  we  had  passed  twelve  days  before! 

We  were  landed  too  late  in  the  day  for  me  to  transact  any 
business  so  that  I  could  not  leave  for  the  east  until  the  follow- 
ing Monday,  and  even  then  the  ferry  gates  were  closing  as  I 
rushe  i  through  to  board  the  Oakland  boat. 

As  I  neared  Iowa  City  on  the  2nd  of  November,  I  received  a 
score  of  congratulatory  telegrams  from  friends  and  organiza- 
tions, which  somewhat  prepared  me  for  the  flattering  reception 
by  the  faculty,  students,  and  citizens,  to  the  number  of  several 
hundred,  who  met  me  at  the  railway  station. 


■■  * 

V 

;  i 

iiA. 

■^m 


m 


r  ■  > 


l!i::ll 


:IJ!li 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   NORTHERN   ATHABASCANS 

THE  Athabascan  family  is  separated,  geographically,  into 
three  primary  groups:  Northern,  Pacific,  Sou^^hern, 

The  Northern  group  includes  the  tribes  inhabiting  the  region 
which  is  bounded  by  the  narrow  territory  of  the  Eskimos  on  the 
north  and  east;  by  the  Churchill  River  and  Lake  Athabasca 
on  the  south;  and  on  the  west  by  coast  tribes  of  other  stocks. 
They  occupy  nearly  the  whole  of  the  interior  of  Alaska,  and 
reach  the  coast  at  Cook's  Inlet  and  at  Copper  River.  The 
Pacific  group  includes  a  number  of  tribes  in  Washington,  Ore- 
gon and  California,  the  names  of  which  are  not  widely  known. 
The  Southern  group  embraces  the  Navajo,  Apache,  and  Lipan 
tribes. 

The  best  description  of  the  Northern  Athabascans  is  that 
given  by  Samuel  Hearne,  who  crossed  their  territory,  without 
flourish  of  trumpets,  in  1771-2.  This  officer  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  was  the  first  explorer  who  reached  "  The  Frozen 
Ocean,"  north  of  this  continent,  overland.*  His  excellent  de- 
scription of  the  natives  acquaints  us  with  their  character  before 
it  had  been  modified  by  contact;  it  shows  us  that  there  has 
been  little  change  in  their  condition  during  the  century  and  a 
quarter  which  has  since  elapsed. 

At  present  I  can  offer  only  a  few  observations  regarding 
these  people,  with  whom  I  was  hardly  in  sympathy  when  I  was 
with  them.  They  did  not  wish  to  see  mountable  specimens  of 
the  caribou  and  musk-ox  taken  out  of  the  country,^  and  as  I 
did  not  attempt  to  buy  their  good  will  I  did  not  obtain  it, 
except  in  a  few  instances.  During  the  three  years  which  have 
passed  since  my  residence  among  the  Dog  Ribs,  I  believe  that 

^  See  p.  132,  ante, 
■  See  p.  71,  ante. 

158 


Ifiii 


THE    NORTHERN    ATHABASCANS 


159 


I  have  come  to  have  a  better  understanding  of  the  "Indian 
mind."  They  were  more  intelligent  than  I  supposed,  but  I 
made  the  mistake  of  judging  them  by  our  standards,  and  my 
first  impression  was  followed  by  disappointment.  They  occupy 
what  Professor  Mason  terms  the  "birch-bark  region;  "*  the  few 
and  extremely  primitive  arts  of  which,  apparently,  have  not 
advanced  their  mental  development.  They  were  never  stupid, 
but  always  light  hearted,  even  under  the  most  depressing  cir- 
cumstances. Twice,  while  at  the  edge  of  Barren  Ground,  the 
whole  band  was  without  food,  and  the  caribou  were  scarce;  the 
men  gathered  in  one  of  the  largest  lodges  to  consider  the  situa- 
tion and  to  form  plans  for  remedying  it.  One  of  their  number 
began  the  discussion  by  cleverly  mimicking  the  speech  of  an 
absent  chief.  They  closed  their  by  no  means  solemn  delibera- 
tions by  singing  a  number  of  native  songs,  notwithstanding  their 
very  empty  stomachs. 

I  several  times  saw  the  men  pick  up  spruce  sticks  and,  after 
cutting  down  one  side  until  they  had  a  smooth  white  surface, 
mark  on  them  in  charcoal  in  the  syllabic  character;  the  others 
present  would  then  try  to  imitate  the  first,  but  the  "  copy  "  was 
soon  thrown  aside.  Indeed  the  children  are  now  taught  to  read 
and  write  by  the  Roman  Catholic  missionary  at  Rae  and  both  men 
and  women  can  read  their  prayer  books  readily. ^  But  the  use 
of  denotive  symbols  has  not  yet  affected  their  mode  of  thought. 
Their  ideas  are  not  capitalized,  so  to  say,  by  recorded  language.  ^ 

The  women  always  occupied  the  coldest  place  at  the  camp 
fire — that  next  the  entrance  to  the  lodge.  They  performed  the 
labor  of  making  and  caring  for  the  camp  and  of  dressing  skins, 
the  latter  no  inconsiderable  task,  as  nearly  everything  made 
and  used  by  these  people  is  of  caribouskin  or  birch.  The 
women  did  not  often  cut  the  firewood  or  haul  in  the  game 
which  the  men  killed.  This  work  was  almost  always  done  by 
the  children. 

A  harmless  lunatic,  who  wandered  about  the  camp  with  star- 

1  American  Anthropologist^ o\.  VI,  p.  151. 

•  See  p  31,  ante. 

8  "Chose  admirable,  ces  hommes  de  la  nature ou  des  dispositions  naturel- 
les  qui  leur  permettent  de  saisir  promptement  ce  qu'on  leur  enseigne:  en 
moins  de  trois  semaines  un  grand  nombre  savaient  lire  et  ^crire."  Farand, 
Henri,  Dix-huit  ans  chez  les  Sauvages,  Paris,  1866,  p.  89. 


'■.   I- 


pp 

9  ;'  »'  I             j  1 

1)?;                   ,: 

'I     ■  ■                 !' 

I 

1 

i6o 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE  FAR   NORTH 


ing  eyes  and  dishevelled  hair,  was  always  greeted  with  jeers.  A 
hunchback,  of  apparently  vicious  disposition,  was  silently 
ignored,  though  he  seemed  to  be  in  fear  of  even  the  boys. 

Population.  The  oflficers  of  the  company,  of  whom  I  inquired 
concerning  the  Indian  population,  were  of  the  opinion  that  the 
number  of  inhabitants  had  not  materially  changed  during  the 
past  twenty  years. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Camsell  for  the  following  census 
which  was  prepared  for  the  Canadian  Government. 


Population  o     the  Mackenzie  River  District. 


^i     i;     ' 


Rampart  House, 
La  Pierre's  House, 
McPherson, 
Good  Hope, 
Norman, .    . 
Wrigley, .     . 
Simpson, 
Liard, .     .     . 
Nelson,    .     . 
Providence, 
Rae,     .     .    . 


MEN.   WOMEN.   BOYS.    GIRLS.  TOTAL.  June '8l.  1858. 


37 

32 

99 

162 

86 

36 

74 
70 

54 
90 


39 

39 

107 

I.S7 
74 
39 
76 

54 
54 
90 


168   188 


39 

49 

138 

97 

82 

58 
45 
53 
66 

139 

176 


49 

48 

III 

131 

82 

31 
39 
42 

50 
117 
179 


164 

168 

455 

547 

324 
164 

234 
219 

224 

436 
711 


286 
286 
351 
583 
254 
500 

216 

209 
456 
615 


337 
467 

363 
745 

397 


657 


708   917   942   879   3646   3851   2966 


Pi 
ft  ■ 


1;    ,1:1 


k  - 


h  'U 


! 


It  will  be  seen  that  this  vast  area  is  but  thinly  populated.  It 
is  not  probable  that  their  relations  with  the  traders  will  have 
any  material  effect  upon  their  numbers.  The  inhabitants  of 
the  trading  stations  during  the  winter  of  '93-94  were  upon  the 
verge  of  starvation  themselves,  and  certainly  could  not  have 
relieved  the  natives  in  case  of  famine.  The  use  of  improved 
firearms  insures  the  extermination  of  the  game  birds  and  mam- 
mals of  the  country,  so  that  the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  North- 
ern Athabascans  is  to  become  fishermen. 

Lodges.  The  caribouskin  lodge ^  is  supported  by  a  frame- 
work of  twelve  to  thirty  poles.  In  pitching  camp  in  winter, 
sticks  are  thrust  through  the  snow  in  order  to  find  solid  earth 
for  a  floor;  if  the  stick  enters  soft  moss  the  place  is  avoided,  as 
the  camp  fire  would  spread  and  undermine  the  lodge.  When 
a  suitable  site  is  found  the  men  clear  away  the  snow  with  their 

1  See  p.  25,  ante. 


i^MMaii 


i-i 


THE   NORTHERN   ATHABASCANS 


l6l 


' 


snow-shoes  and  perhaps  assist  the  women  in  cutting  and  carry- 
ing the  lodge-poles.  It  is  the  women's  duty  to  carry  bundles 
of  spruce  boughs  with  which  to  cover  the  floor  of  the  lodge. 
The  brush  is  laid  carefully,  branch  by  branch,  so  that  the  stems 
are  under  the  tops  and  point  away  from  the  center.  This  floor 
is  renewed  every  Saturday  afternoon.  The  fireplace  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  pole  of  green  wood,  three  or  four  inches  in 
diameter,  cut  so  as  to  be  bent  in  the  form  of  a  polygon.  Above 
the  doorway  a  pole  eight  feet  long  is  lashed  to  the  lodge-poles 
in  a  horizontal  position,  six  feet  from  the  ground;  this,  and  a 
similar  one  on  the  opposite  side,  supports  from  six  to  ten 
poles,  crossing  above  the  fire,  making  a  stage  on  which  to  thaw 
and  dry  meat.  Each  hunter's  powder-horn  and  shot-pouch  is 
suspended  from  a  lodge-pole  at  his  back,  his  gun  stands  in  its 
cover  against  a  pole  or  lies  on  a  stage  outside.  Near  the  door- 
flap  are  several  hungry  and  watchful  dogs,  which,  by  constantly 
running  in  and  out,  make  an  opening  for  the  cold  wind  to 
enter.  The  dogs  are  tied  at  night  to  prevent  their  pilfering; 
one  end  of  a  stick,  three  feet  long,  is  tied  to  a  lodge-pole,  the 
other  end  is  provided  with  a  thong  long  enough  to  pass  around 
the  dog's  neck;  this  manner  of  fastening  prevents  them  from 
gnawing  the  line  and  setting  themselves  free.  The  side  of  the 
fire  next  the  entrance  is  allotted  to  the  children  and  visiting 
women.  On  either  side  sit  the  wives,  for  there  are  usually  two 
families  in  one  lodge.  Behind  them  are  muskimoots  and  an 
inextricable  confusion  of  rags,  blankets,  bones,  meat,  etc.  If  a 
crooked  knife,  a  tea  bag,  or  anything  that  is  in  the  heap  is 
needed,  everything  is  tumbled  about  until  it  is  found;  nothmg 
seems  ever  to  be  lost.  The  sled  wrapper  is  extended  behind 
the  lodge-poles  and  serves  as  a  catch-all  for  stores  of  meat, 
bones  to  be  pounded  and  bo'led  to  extract  the  grease,  and  odds 
and  ends  not  in  constant  use.  The  next  space  is  occupied  by 
the  men  of  the  house,  that  farthest  from  the  door  is  reserved 
for  the  young  men  and  the  men  guests.  At  night  each  adult 
rolls  up  in  a  single  three-point  blanket,  or  a  caribouskin  robe, 
and  sleeps  on  an  undressed  caribouskin.  A  piece  of  an  old 
blanket  ^^^nerally  covers  the  small  children  in  a  bunch. 

Migration.  The  natives  dependent  upon  the  Barren  Ground 
caribou  for  subsistence,  not  only  follow  them  in  their  annual 
migrations,  but  are  changing  their  hunting  ground  in  conse- 


:i 


II 


m 


m^ 


I;/-':j 


p::  • 


m 


m 


162 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


quence  of  the  general  eastward  movement  of  the  game.  The 
Slaveys,  who  formerly  killed  large  numbers  of  caribou  between 
the  Mackenzie  and  Rae,  are  now  compelled  to  live  principally 
upon  fish,  and  when  these  fail,  as  they  did  during  the  winter 
that  I  spent  in  the  country,  they  are  reduced  to  actual  starva- 
tion. The  score  or  two  of  Slaveys  whom  I  saw  at  Providence 
were  dirty,  thievish  and  poverty  stricken.    • 

The  recently  established  trade  in  robes  has  caused  the  musk- 
ox  to  be  driven  out  into  the  Barren  Ground  until  they  are 
almost  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Dog  Ribs.  Several  bands  of 
this  tribe  have  therefore  moved  along  the  lake  shore,  into  and 
beyond  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Yellow  Knives. 

The  disappearance  of  the  caribou  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Good  Hope  and  Norman  has  caused  the  Indians  to  withdraw 
to  a  greater  distance  from  the  trading  stations,  and  a  few,  such 
as  Naohmby,  have  encroached  upon  the  Dog  Rib  hunting 
grounds.  An  Indian  made  his  appearance  at  Rae  on  the  first 
of  February  who  had  attended  the  Christmas  feast  at  Norman. 
He  had  come  by  the  way  of  the  Great  Bear  and  Marten  Lakes. 

The  various  bands  seem  to  be  more  restricted  in  their  move- 
ments than  before  the  advent  of  the  traders,  if  we  may  judge 
by  the  accounts  of  Hearne.  This  is  due  to  their  intercourse 
with  the  traders,  to  whom  they  are  always  bound  by  "debt," 
and  especially  to  the  influence  of  the  missionaries. 

Religion.  Nearly  all  the  Indians  of  Mackenzie  District  are 
nominally  christians.  The  Trout  Lake,  numbering  forty  hunt- 
ers, and  some  other  Western  Indians  still  adhere  to  the  faith 
of  their  fathers,  whatever  that  may  have  been.  Those  profess- 
ing Christianity  are  either  Episcopalians  or  Roman  Catholics. 
The  Dog  Ribs  are  very  strict  in  their  observance  of  the  outward 
forms  of  the  Catholic  Church.  No  meal  was  ever  eaten  in  my 
presence,  during  a  two  months'  residence  among  them,  with- 
out grace  being  repeated  in  concert,  and  it  sometimes  required 
a  strong  effort  of  the  imagination  to  see  anything  to  be  thank- 
ful for.  The  Sunday  services  were  very  ceremonious  functions 
which  always  terminated  in  a  feast  when  in  camp.  If  traveling, 
prayers  were  said  before  the  day's  journey  was  begun.  They 
displayed  heroic  faith  when  they  knelt  in  the  snows  of  the  Bar- 
ren Ground  to  offer  up  prayers  with  chattering  teeth,  shifting 
their  rosaries  with   half  frozen   fingers.     In   their  hymn  and 


II.  i! 


THE   NORTHERN    ATHABASCANS 


163 


prayer  books  they  carried  from  one  to  a  dozen  cards  and  photo- 
graphs which,  even  if  they  were  all  exactly  alike,  were  carefully 
spread  out  upon  the  blanket  before  their  possessor  before  the 
service  began 

One  effect  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity  has  been  to 
abolish  polygamy.  I  heard  of  but  one  Dog  Rib — rejoicing 
under  aie  euphonious  name  of  Buggins — who  had  more  than 
one  wife.  Several  women  are  said  to  have  been  left  to  die  of 
starvation  as  the  result  of  the  too  abrupt  introduction  of  the 
new  order  of  things. 

Many  of  the  old  superstitions  still  obtain.  When  moving  our 
camp  at  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Ground,  a  two  days'  trip,  two  of 
the  young  women  were  forced  to  break  new  tracks  with  their 
snow-shoes  in  the  soft  deep  snow,  several  yards  from  the  trail. 
How  such  a  senseless  and  cruel  custom  could  have  arisen,  much 
less  be  perpetuated  under  the  eyes  of  the  missionaries,  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  understand,  as  the  monthly  recurrence  of  their  condi- 
tion causes  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary  hardship,  owing  to  their 
journeys  in  the  pursuit  of  caribou. 

Provision.  The  Company's  posts  are  built  upon  the  shores  of 
the  lakes  and  rivers  at  points  where  fish  may  be  obtained  in 
large  numbers.  Only  sufficient  flour  is  imported  to  allow  the 
officer  in  charge  and  his  family  from  two  to  four  hundred 
pounds,  and  the  engaged  servant  but  one  hundred  pounds,  a 
year.  Dried  fish  or  dried  caribou  ribs  are  kept  for  the  use  of 
the  men  while  traveling,  and  frequently  as  the  regular  ration 
when  the  fishery  fails.  Fresh  meat  is  the  most  desirable  pro- 
vision, for  which  the  Indian  receives  a  fair  price.  Pounded 
meat,  grease  (marrow,  tallow  and  bone  grease),  tongues, 
beaver  tails  and  moose  muffles,  are  not  traded  so  much  as  for- 
merly. The  Indians  say,  when  questioned,  "You  do  not  give  us 
your  good  things,  so  we  will  eat  our  choice  food  ourselves." 
While  at  the  Dog  Rib  camps  at  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Ground, 
I  saw  large  quantities  of  pounded  meat,  grease,  and  tongues 
eaten,  and  all  was  hospitably  shared  with  me,  yet  they  refused 
to  sell  any  of  these  luxuries  if  carried  away  from  the  camp. 
Though  they  were  offered  a  high  price,  they  did  not  bring  one- 
fourth  of  the  grease  needed  at  Rae  during  the  winter  of  1893-4. 
The  Indians  when  visiting  the  trading  stations  are  lodged  in  the 
cabins  of  the  m^tis  servants,  to  whom  they  bring  considerable 


i': 


164 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


i-i^i;* 


m 


I*  t 


m. 


quantities  of  their  best  provision,"to  show  how  well  the  Indian 
lives." 

Syrup.  A  very  inferior  quality  of  syrup  is  made  at  many 
posts  from  birch  sap.  I  found  but  one  entry  in  the  Rae  journal 
regarding  the  date, — May  20th,  1885,  "Syrup  makers  off  to 
gather  sap."  The  camp  is  about  three  miles  east  of  the  station; 
the  sap  is  collected  in  birch  rogans  which  ar«  made  on  the  spot 
and  kept  there  e?i  cache  during  the  winter. 

Leaders.  Hearne's  remarks  regarding  the  influence  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Northwest  Indians  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  years 
ago,  are  equally  true  today:  "It  is  an  universal  practice  with 
the  Indian  leaders,  both  Northern  a'^i  Southern  (Athabascan 
and  Cree),  when  going  to  the  Company's  Factory,  to  use  their 
influence  and  interest  in  canvassing  for  companions;  as  they 
find  by  experience  that  a  large  gang  gains  them  much  respect. 
Indeed,  the  generality  of  Europeans  who  reside  in  those  parts, 
being  utterly  unacquainted  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
Indians,  have  conceived  so  high  an  opinion  of  those  leaders, 
and  their  authority,  as  to  imagine  that  all  who  accompany  them 
on  those  occasions  are  entirely  devoted  to  their  service  and 
command  all  the  year;  but  this  is  so  far  from  being  the  case, 
that  the  authority  of  those  great  men,  when  absent  from  the 
Company's  Factory,  never  °:xtends  beyond  their  own  family; 
and  the  trifling  respect  shown  them  by  their  countrymen,  dur- 
ing their  residence  at  the  factory,  proceeds  from  motives  of 
interest."^ 

The  first  camp  to  which  I  went  with  Johnnie  Cohoyla  con- 
tained forty  men  but  no  leaders.  They  were  to  engage  in  the 
musk-ox  hunt  in  small  bands,  and  that  being  the  greatest  com- 
mercial venture  of  the  year  would,  it  might  be  presumed,  cause 
them  to  accompany  their  chiefs  upon  the  hunt.  Yet  when  "  Jim- 
mie  the  Chief"  visited  the  camp,  seeking  to  induce  more  hunters 
to  join  his  party,  but  two  men  would  accompany  him,  making 
but  ten  in  all,  with  the  most  respected  of  the  Dog  Rib  leaders. 
Still  the  chiefs  themselves  strive  to  increase  their  prestige; 
the  gratuities  from  the  traders  are  liberally  shared  with  their 
followers,  and  the  most  eloquent  begging  is  kept  up  as  long  as 
they  remain  at  the  post.  None  but  a  successful  hunter  need 
aspire  to  the  hand  of  a  chief's  daughter.     Mr.  Hodgson,  being 

>  Hearne,  yourney,  ji.  288. 


THE   NORTHERN    ATHABASCANS 


165 


desirous  of  obtaining  a  musk-ox's  head,  asked  a  Dog  Rib,  whom 
he  had  heard  was  a  good  hunter,  if  he  could  kill  a  caribou. 
The  India  \,  not  understanding  the  humor  of  his  question,  did 
not  deign  to  reply.  "  Do  you  think  you  could  kill  a  musk-ox?" 
Drawing  himself  up  he  replied,  "You  do  not  seem  to  know 
me.     I  married  the  daughter  of  the  chief  Rebesca." 

The  principal  Dog  Rib  leaders  at  Rae  were  Jimmie,  Rebesca, 
and  Naohmby,  while  Beniah,  Little  Crapeau,  Dry  Geese,  and 
Castor  traded  at  Resolution,  to  which  the  Yellow  Knives  also 
resorted  under  the  leadership  of  Zmto,  Zyena,  Black  Head  and 
others. 

Language.  When  at  Rae,  I  prepared  a  list  of  six  hundred 
words  of  which  I  wrote,  phonetically,  the  Dog  Rib  equivalent, 
as  interpreted  by  Henry  Cadien,  a  metis  freeman,  who  had 
been  at  one  time  the  fort  interpreter.  It  is  an  exceedingly 
difficult  language  to  express  with  the  Roman  characters;  nasals 
and  aspirates  abound;  when  separated  I  could  easily  indicate 
the  proper  sound,  but  combined,  and  with  a  burring  R  added, 
I  found  difficulty  in  pronouncing  and  still  greater  difficulty  in 
writing  the  sounds.  At  Providence,  Joseph  Bouviar,  the  post 
interpreter,  translated  the  same  list  into  Slavey.  Kenneth 
Stewart,  a  Scotch  metis  at  McPherson,  acted  as  interpreter  in 
preparing  a  Loucheux  vocabulary.  Owing  to  so  many  sources 
of  error  in  their  preparation,  notwithstanding  the  time  and 
care  bestowed  upon  them,  I  prefer  to  defer  the  publication  of 
these  vocabularies  in  the  hope  that  I  will  have  opportunity  to 
again  visit  the  country  where  the  dialects  are  spoken. 

Calendar.  From  the  missionaries  the  Dog  Ribs  now  obtain 
slips  of  paper  on  which  the  days  are  marked  in  vertical  lines, 
and  every  seventh  day  with  a  cross.  The  days  are  pricked 
off  ?s  they  pass,  with  a  needle,  on  this  primitive  calendar,  which 
is  in  the  keeping  of  their  leaders.  They  differ  among  themselves 
as  to  the  names  applied  to  the  months. 

January,  Et-se  sa  Cold  sun. 

February,  Nit-se  sa  Small  wind  sun. 

March,  Nit-se-cha  sa  Big  wind  sun.  [up  sun.^ 

April,  Win-di-thi-che-ko  sa  When  the  dogs  travel  with  tails 

^  We  travel  far  between  sleeps  in  the  spring  when  the  days  are  long  and 
the  dogs  go  well. 


1 


i66 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


;i   ' 


&•■: 


May, 
June, 
July, 

Ne-wik-iin  sS 
Wen-S-ki  sa 
Wen-a-chy-ko"  s3 

August, 
September, 

Wgn-at  sa 

Wen-di-e-in-e-ti  sa 
Wen-a  cha  sa 

October,       £k-ola-chin-co  sa 

November,  Wen-de-to"  sa 
December, 


Sore  eyes  sun. 

Egg  sun. 

When   the   wing    feathers    are 

moulted  sun. 
When    the    caribou   enter  the 

woods  sun. 
When  the  berries  are  ripe  sun. 
When  the  caribou  are  abundant 

in  the  woods  sun. 
Paddle  shoulder  sun. 

(Alluding  to  the  practice  of  striking  a  scapula 
against  trees  in  luring  moose  at  this  season.) 

When  the  ice  sets  fast  sun. 


SLAVEY   NAMES    OF    THE   MONTHS. 


i.i 


January,     E-toz-in 

-e-cho-ke  sa 

New-year's  sun. 

February,    Ni-tsya 

sa 

Small  wind  sun. 

March,        Te-to"  . 

sho 

sa 

Eagle  sun. 

April,          Ni-tsya- 

■cho 

sa 

Big  wind  sun. 

May,           Be-ken-ot-o 

-to-ni-no"-ta  sa 

The  geese  arrive  sun 

June,           Chi-me- 

ab-e 

:-ya  sa 

Ducks  are  laying  sun 

July,            Bek-ke- 

chi- 

e-ya-ten-ne-ti  sa 

Berries  ripen  sun. 

August,       Colo"-ye-ken-ak-e-ne-i-a-  sa 

Moose  rutting  sun. 

September, 

October,      Thlu-i-ka-tse-de-ti  sa 

Fishery  sun. 

November, 

December, 

NUMERALS. 

DOG    RIB. 

SLAVEY. 

LOUCHEUX. 

Yz,      Tan-dize 

Be-ki-zin 

Ten-jer. 

/,      In-klai-i 

The-i-ga 

Iq-luk. 

2,      Na-ki 

Cn-ke 

Na-kig. 

J,      Ta-i 

Ta-ye 

Ti-ak. 

4,      Ding 

Tin-ghe 

Tan-kii. 

5,      Smd-la-i 

Sa-sund-la-t 

Klo-hun-de. 

.    \  Crn-ke-to" 
'   (  Ek-e-ta-i 

Tsin-ta-e 

Ni-ki-tik. 

7,      Et-la"  diOg 

Thant-ting 

Dit-zi-ha-tsi-ne-ki 

o   )On-ke-ding 
'  \  £k-e-ding 

£t-sand-ti"g 

Nik-e-ta". 

If 


'■1 


70, 

12, 

20, 
100, 


THE   NORTHERN    ATHABASCANS 


167 


DOG    RIB.  SLAVEY. 

Cn-lon-ton 

In-klai-i  ule  Thle-i-ule 

H6-ne-no 

H6-ne-no-o"-da-tsin-in-klai-i 

Ho-ne-no-o"-da-tsin-na-ki 

Na-ki-ho-ne-no 

In-kla-ten-ni-le-kwu-ni-ke-ho-ne-no 


LOUCHEUX. 


">-tru"-to-kw5. 


Willow  River,  7iear  Rae, 
Jackfish  River,  near  Rae, 
Coppei   line  River, 
Yellow  Knife  River, 
White  Rock  River, 
Jackfish  Lake, 
Little  Jackfish  Lake, 
Marten  Lake, 
Bear's  Shoulder  Lake, 
Rae, 

Providence, 
Resolution, 
Simpson, 
Smith, 
Chippewyan, 


GEOGRAPHICAL. 

DOG     RIB. 

Kai-i-ta-ni  Te 
tJn-te  Te 
Tso"  Te 
Be-vwu-le  Te 
Kwem-be  Te 
0n-ta-ka  Tu' 
CTn-te-e  Tu' 
So"  Tu' 
Sa-kon-to"  Tu' 
Ni-ce-ku' 
Ya-ti 

Ten-ni-du-a 
£th-i-tlin-ku' 
Kwem-ba-cha 
Ka-i-te-ku" 


SLAVEY, 

Mackenzie  River,  ^  Ten-di-ci-cho 


Island  Hill  Post. 
Priests. 

Moose  Island. 
The  Forks  Post. 
Big  Rapids. 
Willow  Ground. 


Slave  River, 

Peace  River, 

McPhersoUy 

Good  Hope 

Norman, 

Liard, 

McMurray, 


Tendoykua-cotega  tendethy 

Tsa-o-ti  ni 

Ta-tla-ku  End  of  the  World  Post. 

Ka-tco-o-ti-ne  ku  Arctic  Hare  Indian  Post. 


Sa-tco-tu-e-ku 

A-tco-ten-ku 

Te-tco-ku 


1  Compare    Petitot,   "  Carte,"   etc. 


Big  Bear  Lake  Post. 
Trout  Lake  Indian  Post. 
Rapids  Post. 

In   the   Dialect  of   the   Providence 


Slaveys,  Dis-nedhe-yare.      The  Wrigley  Slaveys,  T'i-kka.      The  Hares, 
Nakotsia-kotcho.    The  Loucheux,  Nakocho-ondyiz. 


1 1 


;i;i: 


|;1  ■     1 

It'  •     ■ ' 


:. :  i 

i 

■  [  \ 

5 

■  1     '■ 

'"ii 

*;  4  ■ 

CHAPTER  X 

ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL  SECURED   IN   THE 
HUDSON'S   BAY  COMPANY'S  TERRITORY 

THIS  list  includes  several  specimens  not  made  by  the  In- 
dians, but  all  of  which  are  typical  of  those  used  in  the  Fur 
Country,  exclusive  of  the  northern  border  where  the  Eskimos 
have  arts  peculiar  to  themselves.  With  the  exception  of  the 
deservedly  much-praised  birch-bark  canoe  and  the  birch  flat 
sltd,  it  is  believed  that  every  article*  of  Dog  Rib  manufacture, 
of  any  consequence,  is  included  in  this  list.  They  use  gill  nets, 
unrepresented  in  the  collection,  but  they  are  made  by  the  women 
after  the  manner  taught  them  by  the  metis  voyageurs.  They 
are  almost  without  arts,  and  lead  a  wandering  life  which  pre- 
vents the  accumulation  of  any  considerable  amount  of  property. 
One  industry,at  least,  that  of  dressing  skins,  has  been  fairly  well 
developed,  as  naturally  might  be  expected  in  a  country  where 
so  many  skins  are  absolutely  necessary  for  their  protection. 

CaribOUSkin  Lodge.  The  collection  contains  a  skin  lodge 
from  Rae,  which  was  made  for  the  chief  Naohmby.  It  is  made 
from  the  dressed  skins  of  forty  caribou.  It  is  13  feet  in  cir- 
cumference at  the  top  and  57  feet  at  the  bottom.  It  is  12  feet 
from  the  top  to  the  base.  When  carried  it  is  rolled  in  two 
rolls  so  that  the  middle,  opposite  the  open  side,  may  receive  a 
pole  in  the  loop  at  the  top  with  which  to  raise  the  rolls  in  posi- 
tion against  the  cone  around  which  they  are  unrolled  in  setting 
up  the  lodge.  The  free  edges  overlap  and  are  made  fast  by 
thongs  4  feet  long.  The  two  wings  at  the  margin  of  the  smoke 
hole  are  shifted,  according  to  the  direction  of  the  wind,  by  two 
poles  resting  against  the  outside  of  the  lodge.  It  is  much 
easier  to  enter  a  Cree  lodge  than  to  scramble  into  that  of  the 

^  A  dog  harness,  a  general  description  of  which  is  given  in  the  narrativei 
p.  16,  is  included  in  the  collection. 

168 


m 


ETHNOLOGICAL    MATERIAL 


169 


'HE 


Dog  Rib,  through  the  opening  made  by  lifting  the  lower  edge 
at  the  point  where  the  sides  meet.  The  two  circular  seams  are 
usually  marked  by  a  red  ochre  band,  an  inch  wide.  The  upper 
part  of  the  lodge  is  soon  blackened  by  smoke  and  soot.  Besides 
the  opening  at  the  top,  3  feet  in  diameter,  ventilation  is  secured 
by  means  of  the  innumerable  grub  holes  with  which  the  skins 
are  perforated. 

Clothing.  The  adoption  of  the  costume  of  civilized  man  has 
not  been  a  hygienic  success.  The  women  wear  light  print 
dresses  which  are  a  poor  substitute  for  the  warm  skin  clothing 
of  former  times.  A  few  gowns  of  dressed  leather  are  still  worn 
by  the  Dog  Rib  women,  and  both  sexes  wear  capotes  of  cari- 
bouskin  in  the  hair  while  traveling  in  winter. 

Nearly  all  children  under  ten  years  of  age  are  insufficiently 
clothed.  I  saw  Dog  Rib  urchins  in  midwinter  playing  outside 
the  lodges  or  gathering  fuel  while  literally  half  naked.  The 
younger  ones  frequently  complained,  though  the  older  ones 
seemed  as  happy  and  contented  as  those  of  warmer  climates. 
The  young  men  are  more  fastidious  in  the  matter  of  dress,  and 
wear  more  beads,  quills,  silk,  and  feathers  than  do  the  young 
women,  and,  I  may  add,  are  more  cleanly.  The  Northern  In- 
dians are  neither  so  well  clothed  nor  so  well  housed  as  are  the 
Eskimos;  the  latter  manufacture  waterproof  boots  and  frocks 
while  the  former  have  no  form  of  foot  wear  except  the  mocca- 
sin which  is  wet  at  all  seasons;  and  from  the  rain  they  have  no 
protection  whatever. 

Hunting  Frocks.  These  are  common  among  the  Crees  and 
Athabascans.  They  are  also  worn  by  the  metis,  by  whom  they 
are  elaborately  decorated  with  porcupine  quills,  ribbons,  beads, 
and  silk  embroidery.  There  is  a  mooseskin  frock.  No.  10,914,  in 
the  collection,  from  McPherson,  which  was  made  by  a  Loucheux 
woman.  It  is  short  in  the  skirt  and  sleeves  and  broad  across 
the  shoulders.  There  are  two  pairs  of  thongs,  at  the  throat  and 
breast,  by  which  it  may  be  closed;  it  broadly  overlaps  at  the 
waist  where  it  is  confined  by  the  belt.  The  front  is  hemmed 
with  black  cotton  cloth  backed  by  a  narrow  red  ribbon.  The 
shoulders  are  occupied  by  epaulets  of  black  and  green  cloth, 
with  a  margin  of  caribou  leather  fringe  whipped  at  the  base  with 
red  and  purple  porcupine  quills.  The  fringe  encircles  the  arms 
at  the  shoulder  and  extends  across  the  back.    The  sleeve  has  a 


t  Vi 


It        ' 


i  1 ' 

Mi 

ij  i; 

i  :  i 

^ 

yj 

170 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


single  button  at  the  wrist.  This  frock  is  32  inches  long,  26 
inches  across  the  shoulders,  54  around  the  waist,  and  20  around 
the  neck.  The  sleeve  is  21  inches  long.  It  has  been  worn  and, 
owing  to  the  method  of  tanning,  has  a  strong  smoky  odor. 

Leather  Gown.  The  collection  contains  but  one,  No.  10,850, 
which  was  worn  by  a  Dog  Rib  woman,  the  wife  of  Johnnie 
Cohoyla.  It  is  of  dressed  caribou  leather  made  up  in  a  polo- 
naise. The  only  cloth  used  is  in  the  belt,  1.5  inches  wide,  and 
a  velvet  hem  0.5  in  width.  It  is  closed  in  front  by  a  pair  of 
thongs  at  the  throat  and  by  three  brass  trousers  buttons  at  the 
waist.  It  is  48  inches  long  and  13  inches  across  the  shoulders. 
The  sleeves  are  16  mches  long.  It  is  sewed  with  sinew  and  has 
many  rents  and  patches.  It  has  been  long  worn  and  is  covered 
with  dirt  and  grease.  The  skins  of  five  caribou  were  used  in 
making  it. 

Capotes.  The  men  of  the  Dog  Rib  tribe  wear  capotes  of  cari- 
bouskin,  dressed  with  the  hair  on.  These  are  usually  made 
from  the  skins  of  animals  killed  in  early  autumn,  when  the  soft 
summer  pelage  is  at  its  best.  No.  10,853,  of  winter  caribouskin, 
a  typical  specimen,  was  made  for  use  upon  the  musk-ox  hunt. 
It  is  large  enough  to  be  worn  over  another  capote  by  a  man  of 
average  size.  The  skins  of  three  caribou  were  used  in  making 
it;  the  largest  one  forms  the  back  and  hood;  a  second,  cut  in 
halves,  forms  the  sides,  and  the  third  the  sleeves  and  front  of 
the  hood;  this  last  is  a  piece  3.5  inches  wide  at  the  top  and 
tapers  to  a  point  26  inches  below,  the  ends  hanging  free  for  10 
inches  below  the  chin;  it  is  double,  the  inner  piece  being  turned 
with  hair  inward  to  protect  the  face.  This  is  the  only  lining 
about  the  garment,  and  I  know  from  experience  that  the  bare 
leather  soon  becomes  cold  and  disagreeable  against  the  neck 
and  face  in  severe  weather.  This  capote  is  3  feet  long  with  a  21 
inch  sleeve.    It  is  closed  by  two  pairs  of  thongs  and  by  the  belt. 

Caps.  North  of  Athabasca  Landing  the  usual  head  covering 
of  the  Indian  is  his  heavy  hair,  confined  by  a  bandana  hand- 
kerchief in  summer,  which  has  replaced  the  hair  or  deerskin 
headband  of  the  past,  or  by  the  hood  of  his  capote  in  winter. 
A  few  wear  hats  obtained  from  the  traders  and  others  a  "birch 
cap"  of  their  own  manufacture.  I  obtained  one  of  these  caps 
from  a  Cree  at  Chippewyan.  It  is  made  of  a  band  of  birch- 
wood  2.5  inches  wide  and  7.5  inches  in  diameter.     It  is  covered 


ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


171 


with  coarse  woolen  cloth  and  lined  with  print.  The  sides  are 
ornamented  with  beads  upon  a  background  of  dark  red  ribbon. 
There  are  several  black  bead  stars  on  the  top  to  which  is 
attached,  by  a  string  2  inches  long,  the  figure  of  an  animal  cut 
from  heavy  tin.  Loosely  tied  around  the  outside  is  a  piece  of 
cheesecloth  intended  to  be  drawn  over  the  eyes  to  prevent  snow- 
blindness  in  spring.  The  wearer  had  used  the  crown  for  a 
needle  case.  When  at  the  Narrows  of  the  Saskatchewan  I 
obtained  a  boy's  cap.  No.  9,608,  made  of  the  skins  from  the 
necks  of  five  loons  {Urinator  imber) .  It  is  lined  with  a  piece  of 
white  cotton  cloth.  Its  owner  was  greatly  pleased  at  receiving 
a  common  cloth  cap  for  it  from  the  store. 

Le^gfiDS.  These  are  worn  at  all  seasons  by  the  metis  and 
Indian  women  and  by  the  men  in  winter.  The  collection 
contains  a  pair  of  women's  leggins,  No.  10,897,  from  McPher- 
son.  Like  nearly  all  others  of  that  country,  they  are  of  blue 
strouding  and  are  ornamented  by  a  double  row  of  white  beads 
at  the  bottom  and. a  zigzag  pattern  in  blue  beads  above  it. 
There  is  a  quarter  inch  hem  of  black  cloth  around  the  bottom 
and  extending  half  way  up  the  outer  side.  They  are  14  inches 
long  and  8  inches  broad  to  the  seam,  which  is  2  inches  from  the 
margin.  There  is  also  a  pair  of  men's  short  leggins.  No.  9,609, 
from  Isle  a  la  Crosse.  The  beaded  portion  on  the  outside  of  the 
leg  extends  nearly  the  whole  length  of  the  leggin.  It  is  of  black 
broadcloth,  nearly  covered  with  beads  in  flower  patterns,  and 
surrounded  by  a  quarter  inch  hem  of  pale  blue  ribbon.  There 
are  four  tufts  of  narrow  colored  ribbons  at  the  sides.  The 
piece  is  14  inches  long  and  5  wide.  The  leggin  is  of  navy  blue 
flannel,  with  a  drawing-string  of  print  at  the  top;  it  is  14  inches 
long  and  8.25  wide.  A  pair  of  garters,  17  inches  long  and  2.5 
wide,  was  worn  with  these  leggins.  They  are  also  braided  and 
have  a  rosette  and  lines  and  tassels  at  the  ends  of  variegated 
worsted.  The  typical  men's  leggins  reach  above  the  knee  and 
are  fastened  by  leather  thongs  to  the  belt.  They  are  some- 
times made  of  white  strouds  with  a  scarlet  stripe  along  the 
outer  seam,  but  usually  they  are  blue  with  the  gray  selvage  at 
the  top,  and  have  a  narrow  braided  piece  along  the  outer  seam 
below  the  knee.  A  pair  of  these  pieces  of  beadwork.  No. 
10,898,  from  Good  Hope,  are  of  black  velvet  nearly  covered 
with  beads.    They  are  12  inches  long  and  3.25  wide. 


i' 


■  11  = 

i    I; 


172 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


|:| 


H\  'if 


'■      '■i' 


Moccasins.  These  are  worn  by  all  of  the  metis  and  Indians 
of  the  North;  the  whites  in  the  country  soon  become  accus- 
tomed to  their  use  and  are  loth  to  return  to  the  hard  and 
cramping  "English  shoes."  They  are  all  made  after  the  same 
general  pattern;  a  single  piece  around  the  foot,  a  semi-elliptical 
more  or  less  ornamented  piece  over  the  instep,  and  a  top  of 
light  leather  or  canvas  which  folds  around  the  ankle.  They 
are  fastened  by  a  pair  of  leather  strings  which  draw  around  the 
heel  and  pass  two  or  three  times  around  the  ankle.  Dressed 
moose  leather  is  the  best  material  obtainable  by  the  Northern 
Indians  for  the  manufacture  of  moccasins;  caribou  leather  is 
also  used,  especially  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  caribou  country, 
where  few  moose  are  to  be  found.  The  moccasin  is  certainly 
the  best  form  of  foot  wear  for  use  in  the  fragile  birch  canoe  or 
for  walking  upon  snow-shoes.  But  it  is  not  a  perfect  protec- 
tion for  the  foot,  as  the  soft  and  flexible  mooseskin  will  admit 
water  as  readily  as  blotting  paper,  and  then  wear  away  rapidly 
and  stretch  immoderately.  Four  or  five  pairs  a  day  are  some- 
times required  in  tracking,  and  in  spring  traveling  they  are 
soon  cut  to  pieces  by  the  ice,  though  they  are  sometimes  pro- 
tected by  a  sole  made  from  the  skin  of  a  caribou's  leg  with  the 
hair  on.  They  are  sewed  with  sinew  thread,  which  is  strong 
and  durable. 

The  collection  contains  a  pair  of  moccasins,  No.  10,835,  of 
caribou  leather,  which  were  made  for  use  upon  the  musk-ox 
hunt  of  the  Dog  Ribs  in  1894.  They  are  ouite  large,  to  admit 
double  blanket  foot  wrappings.  The  central  piece  is  of  scarlet 
cloth  without  embroidery  and  bordered  with  narrow  blue  and 
yellow  tape.     The  top  is  of  an  inferior  quality  of  leather. 

I  obtained  a  pair  of  slippers.  No.  10,887,  at  McPherson,  which 
are  of  heavy  moose  leather  smoked  a  dark  brown.  The  central 
piece  is  of  blue  strouding  ornamented  with  a  simple  pattern  in 
beads  and  bordered  with  two  rows  of  horsehair  colored  blue 
and  yellow.  Around  the  tops  is  a  strip  of  strouding,  1.5  inches 
wide,  free  at  the  lower  edge  which  is  crenulated.  These  were 
made  after  a  metis  pattern  by  the  wife  of  the  Eskimo  interpreter. 

There  is  a  pair  of  "silk-worked  moccasins,"  No.  9,597,  in  the 
collection  from  Grand  Rapids,  which  is  an  excellent  example 
of  metis  art.  The  tops  are  of  woodland  caribouskin  with  a  i 
inch  piece  of  white-tanned  Barren  Ground  caribouskin  inserted 


ETHNOLOGICAL    MATERIAL 


173 


in  the  seam.  This  is  a  common  pattern,  the  insertion  being 
frequently  a  piece  of  bright  colored  cloth,  variously  toothed 
or  crenated  at  the  free  margin.  The  central  piece  is  of  white 
leather  embroidered  with  silk  in  a  floral  design.  Around  this 
is  sewn  a  four-ply  braid  of  red  and  purple  porcupine  quills, 
bordered  with  one  roll  of  light  red  and  two  of  aster-purple 
colored  horsehair.  They  are  exactly  alike  but  are  worn  as 
rights  and  lefts,  the  flexible  leather  adapting  itself  to  the  foot 
on  the  first  wearing. 

The  collection  contains  a  pair,  No.  11,229,  from  Macleod, 
made  by  a  Piegan  woman,  which  is  of  a  different  type.  They 
are  of  cowhide  with  canvas  tops  and  strings.  They  are  made 
as  rights  and  lefts.  The  soles  are  in  two  pieces.  Along  the 
middle  of  the  instep  and  the  outer  margin  of  the  upper  there 
are  a  large  number  of  beads  arranged  in  geometrical  patterns. 
There  is  a  double  fringe  of  red  and  blue  flannel  around  the  tops. 

Duffels.  The  Indians  wear  pieces  of  blanketing  for  socks,  but 
they  sometimes  obtain  the  loose,  heavy  woolen  cloth  known  as 
duffel.  The  fibre  is  straight  and  coarse,  but  the  loose  texture 
makes  it  more  suitable  than  blanketing  for  socks,  mittens,  etc. 
The  whites  and  metis  use  it  exclusively.  A  pair  of  duffels  in 
the  collection.  No.  9,592,  from  Grand  Rapids,  are  made  in  a 
single  piece  sewed  around  one  side  and  at  the  heel.  There  is  a 
broad  tongue  and  no  top,  though  this  is  usually  made  similar  to 
that  of  a  moccasin.  The  Indians  and  poorer  class  of  metis  tear 
the  cloth  in  pieces  a  foot  square  and  do  not  sew  them  at  all. 
This  form  of  foot  wrapping  has  the  advantage  that  the  points  of 
greatest  wear  may  be  shifted  and  the  cloth  does  not  become 
threadbare  and  cold  so  quickly. 

Mittens.  The  Indians  protect  their  hands  by  mittens  of 
dressed  leather  lined  with  pieces  of  blanket,  duffel,  or  rabbit- 
skin  and  occasionally  caribouskin  with  the  hair  inside.  They 
are  worn  with  a  line  around  the  neck  to  hold  them  when  the 
hand  is  removed,  as  it  frequently  is  in 'handling  sled  lines,  dog 
harness,  and  in  shooting.  They  are  always  large,  loose  fitting, 
and  in  severe  weather  afford  insufficient  protection.  Those 
worn  by  the  metis  and  whites  are  longer  in  the  wrist,  and  orna- 
mented with  ribbons,  silk,  and  beads,  besides  fur  trimming  and 
cords  of  variegated  worsted.  The  collection  contains  a  pair.  No 
10,834,  from  Rae,  of  moose  leather  lined  with  blanketing.    They 


.M 


i.: 


'74 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


ill- 


are  lo  inches  long  by  6.5  broad.  The  thumb  is  3  inches  long 
and  3  broad.  They  are  hemmed  with  a  2  inch  piece  of  stroud- 
ing  at  the  wrist. 

Sash.  There  is  a  beaded  sash  in  the  collection,  No.  9,635, 
from  Norway  House.  It  is  of  black  broadcloth,  hemmed  with 
green  braid  and  lined  with  drilling.  The  beads  are  arranged 
in  flower  pattern,  but  with  superior  excellence  and  harmony  of 
colors.  It  is  44.5  inches  long  and  2.6  wide.  The  ends  are  pro- 
vided with  two  light  thongs  each. 

Carrying  Straps.  The  collection  contains  tvvo  of  these  from 
McPherson.  They  were  made  by  metis  women  and  are  more 
elaborately  ornamented  than  those  used  by  the  Indians.  One 
of  these.  No.  10,900,  is  of  caribouskin  covered  with  black  velvet, 
with  a  quarter  inch  hem  of  blue  cotton  cloth.  It  is  ornamented 
with  six  rows  of  white  beads  and  a  central  band  of  colored  ones 
in  alternate  stars  and  circles.  Along  the  lower  margin  are 
short  strings  of  large  beads  terminating  in  worsted  tags.  The 
ends  are  furnished  with  brass  belt  fastenings  obtained  at  the 
store.     It  is  44  inches  long  and  2.75  broad. 

The  other  strap,  No.  1,090,  is  of  mooseskin  covered  with  blue 
strouding  with  a  plaid  margin.  The  beadwork  is  in  flower 
patterns.  The  ends  are  provided  with  mooseskin  thongs  for 
tying.  It  is  41  inches  long,  3.3  wide  in  the  middle,  tapering  to 
2  inches  at  the  end. 

Dog  Shoes.  These  are  used  in  lake  travel,  late  in  winter, 
when  the  sharp  granular  snow  soon  renders  the  dogs'  feet  raw 
and  bleeding,  or  in  spring  when  traveling  upon  the  needle  ice, 
after  the  snow  has  disappeared.  The  collection  contains  a  half 
dozen  shoes  of  caribousk'n.  They  are  simple  bags,  8  inches 
deep,  and  5  inches  across,  rounding  at  the  bottom  and  having 
leather  tj'ing  strings  at  the  top.  Common  cloth,  canvas  or 
leather  is  used,  but  all  wear  out  rapidly  or  fill  with  ice  and  cause 
so  much  suffering  that  many  travelers  discard  them  altogether. 
Tobacco  Pouches.  Each  of  these  contains  flint,  steel,  touch- 
wood, a  small  quantity  of  plug  tobacco  and  a  medium-sized 
pocket  knife.  The  "fire  bag"  is  usually  made  of  fine  cloth  or 
velvet,  ornamented  with  silk  or  beads.  The  collection  contains 
one.  No.  10,888,  from  McPherson,  which  is  ornamented  on  both 
sides  by  bead?  in  flower  patterns.  The  top  has  a  double  draw- 
ing-string of  worsted.     This  bag  is  7  inches  long  and  6  broad. 


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ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


175 


Another,  No.  10,889,  from  the  same  locality,  is  of  black  velvet 
beaded  upon  both  sides,  closed  by  a  silk  drawing-string  and 
further  ornamented  by  a  silk  thread  around  the  bottom. 

Specimen  No.  10,891,  is  of  a  single  swan's  foot.  There  is  a 
hem  of  cloth  at  the  top,  containing  a  drawing-string  of  three- 
ply,  braided  wrapping  twine.  It  is  cloth  lined  and  has  been 
used.  I  obtained  this  pouch  from  Rat  Indians  visiting  Her- 
schel  Island. 

I  obtained  a  fire  bag.  No.  9,611,  which  is  very  old  and  much 
worn,  fro;  an  old  Cree  medicine  man,  on  the  Saskatchewan. 
It  is  of  broadcloth  with  a  narrow  margin  of  green  ribbon  and 
white  beads.  The  top  is  plain  but  the  lower  third  of  each  side 
is  beaded  with  flower  patterns  in  startling  color  combinations. 
There  is  a  closely  clipped  roll  of  variegated  worstea  at  the  bot- 
tom, from  which  hang  worsted  tassels  at  the  ends  of  short 
thongs  on  each  of  which  are  strung  t'  ree  large  blue  beads.  The 
open  top  is  furnished  with  a  shon  lOop  of  three-ply,  braided 
worsted,  probably  to  hang  it  by  when  not  in  use,  as  it  is  then 
kept  closed  by  being  drawn  under  the  belt.  It  is  11  inc;  ..;  long 
and  5.5  broad. 

Shot  Pouches.  The  collection  contains  one,  No.  9,634,  which 
was  made  by  a  metis  woman  at  Norway  House.  It  is  the  best 
specimen  of  the  imitative  flower  pattern  beadwork  that  I  saw 
in  the  North.  It  is  of  dark  blue  broadcloth  with  a  sash  2.5 
inches  wide  and  4  feet  long,  by  which  it  was  suspended  so  that 
the  lower  part  of  the  pouch  passed  under  the  belt  which  pre- 
vented its  contents  from  falling  out  and  kept  the  pouch  itself 
in  place.  It  is  10.75  inches  long  in  the  back,  7.5  in  the  front 
and  6.5  broad.  It  is  lined  with  light  canvas.  Both  pouch  and 
sash  are  heavily  beaded. 

Fire  Steel.  Flints  and  steels  for  striking  fire  are  still  supplied 
by  the  Company  to  the  Northern  Indians.  Steels  are  com- 
monly made  by  the  natives  from  old  files.  I  obtained  a  well 
made  specimen.  No.  11,006,  from  a  Chippewyan  at  Resolution. 
It  is  rather  heavier  than  common  and  has  a  short  bit  at  the 
open  end  to  be  used  as  a  screw-driver. 

The  flints  are  imported.  A  specimen.  No.  9,639,  in  the  col- 
lection, is  a  quadrilateral  truncated  pyramid,  1.25  inches  long 
by  I  wide.  For  touchwood  the  Indians  use  the  hard  fungus 
from  dead  birch  trees.     They  beg  for  matches  at  every  oppor- 


176 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


u.        '!f 


tunity,  as  they  do  not  enjoy  the  experience  of  striking  fire  for 
five  minutes  before  getting  the  pipe  alight,  when  the  hands  are 
exposed  to  a  temperature  of  70^  below  zero. 

Work  Bags.  There  is  one,  No.  9,614,  in  the  collection,  from 
Chippcwyan,  that  is  rather  unique  in  design.  It  is  of  the  skin 
of  four  swan's  feet,  two  on  each  side,  with  a  one  inch  strip  of 
mooseskin  around  the  bottom.  It  is  ornamented  with  tassels 
of  worsted  attached  by  thongs  covered  with  quills  and  beads. 
It  is  9  inches  deep  and  lo  broad. 

Drum.  The  collection  contains  one  drum,  No.  10,829,  from 
Rae.  The  frame  is  of  birch  wood,  0.5  of  an  inch  in  thickness, 
2.1  wide  and  14  in  diameter.  The  ends  are  scarfed  together 
and  lashed  with  babiche.  It  is  provided  with  two  babiche  lines 
crossing  each  other  at  right  angles  by  which  it  is  held  when  in 
use.  The  head  is  of  caribouskin  parchment.  It  contains  one 
grub  hole  and  two  cuts  which  have  been  sewed.  It  is  fastened 
near  the  rear  margin  of  the  frame  by  babiche,  which  passes 
through  holes  which  are  in  pairs  at  intervals  of  an  inch  and 
a  half,  and  over  a  band  passing  around  the  head.  There  are 
three  snares,  two  of  twisted  babiche,  and  a  central  one  of  thong. 
The  head  is  tightened  by  heating.  The  stick,  which  I  saw  used 
for  weeks  before  I  obtained  the  drum,  is  a  worm-eaten  fir 
branch  with  a  slight  natural  curve.  The  bark  is  partly  removed, 
but  the  ends  are  broken  and  rough.  It  is  12  inches  long  and 
0.5  in  diameter. 

Sinew.  The  thread  used  in  sewing  moccasins  and  most  of 
the  leather  garments  of  the  country  is  made  from  the  broad 
sinews  of  the  back  of  the  caribou.  This  is  dried  and  the  fibres 
separated  and  twisted  by  the  palm  of  the  hand  upon  the  knee 
until  a  thread  is  formed  of  convenient  length  for  use.  The 
rough  sinew  is  usually  carried  and  a  small  quantity  of  thread 
made  as  it  is  used,  or  it  is  made  in  quantity  and  kept  loosely 
braided  in  plaits.  A  bundle  of  sinew,  No.  9,636,  in  the  collec- 
tion from  Grand  Rapids,  is  of  pale  straw  color.  The  threads 
are  from  20  to  24  inches  long  and  somewhat  larger  than 
coarse  linen  thread.  One  end  tapers  from  about  6  inches  to  a 
fine  point  which  is  used  in  lieu  of  a  bristle  in  sewing  with  an 
awl,  a  needle  being  seldom  used.  At  present  the  only  needles 
in  the  country  are  the  ordinary  imported  glovers'  needles. 

Canoes.     The  collection  contains  but  one  model.  No.  9,62i» 


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(iRAININC   TOOL,    DOC.   RIHS,    RAE. 


ETHNOLOGICAL    MATERIAL 


177 


of  the  Indian  birch-bark  canoe.  It  contains  but  a  single  piece 
of  bark  so  that  the  seams  between  the  sections  of  the  largo 
canoes  are  not  represented.  It  is  sewed  at  the  ends  and  top 
with  wattap  which  is  0.2  inch  wide  and  so  closely  placed  that 
there  is  no  space  between  the  turns  except  upon  the  curved 
ends.  There  is  a  light  and  roughly  made  gunwale  nailed  on 
outside  the  wattap  binding.  It  is  lined  with  .spruce  which  com- 
pletely covers  the  bark  on  the  inside.  There  are  ten  ribs,  rather 
roughly  made.  A  thin  upright  piece  at  each  end  cuts  off  a 
short  space  next  the  stem  and  stern.  It  is  gummed  at  the  ends 
as  high  as  the  water  line  only.  There  are  two  paddles  with 
the  canoe,  which  are  of  spruce,  23  inches  long  and  1.8  wide. 
The  blade  is  nearly  as  long  as  the  handle;  it  is  flat  upon  one 
side  and  convex  upon  the  other;  the  end  is  sharpened  at  an 
angle  of  45  degrees. 

Skin  Scrapers.  There  are  lOur  instruments  in  the  collection 
which  have  been  used  in  dressing  skins;  three  are  to  be  used 
with  one  hand  and  one  is  double-handled.  No.  11,548  repre- 
sents the  type  that  is  most  used.  It  is  a  graining  tool  made 
from  the  tibia  of  a  moose,  rounded  off  with  an  ax  and  obliquel)' 
cut  to  a  sharp  edge  just  above  the  distal  enlargement.  This 
edge  is  1.5  inches  across  and  contains  13  teeth.  Attached  to 
the  dried  ligaments  of  the  proximal  end  is  a  mooseskin  thong 
which  forms  a  loop  which  prevents  the  hand  from  slipping 
down  the  shaft.  This  specimen  was  obtained  at  the  Grand 
Rapids  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  is  almost  identical  with  No. 
10,838  from  Rae. 

There  is  a  scraper,  No.  11,228,  of  the  same  pattern  from  the 
Piegan  Indian  reservation  near  Macleod.  It  is  of  iron  covered 
on  the  handle  with  cowhide. 

The  beaming  tool.  No.  11,547,  from  Grand  Rapids,  is  a  tibia 
with  one  side  of  the  shaft  cut  away  leaving  a  sharp  edge.  It  is 
used  as  is  a  drawing  knife,  the  broad  ends  serving  as  handles. 
When  using  this  scraper  the  skin  is  stretched  over  a  short, 
smooth  log,  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter. 

Ladles.  These  are  made  of  musk-ox  or  mountain  sheep  horn. 
Before  the  hunt  in  the  spring  of  1894,  there  were  but  two  in  the 
camp  of  six  lodges,  but  after  we  returned  each  farnily  was  pro- 
vided with  one  or  two,  so  that  I  supposed  thgm  to  be  lost  or 
thrown  away  during  their  migrations  when  everything  not  abso- 

12 


178 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


Sfll 


lutcly  necessary  to  their  existence  is  abandoned.  No.  10,842 
was  made  by  one  of  our  part)'  from  a  horn  of  the  the  first  musk- 
ox  killed.  It  was  carved  out  with  a  crooked  knife;  beinj^  ki'pt 
hot  while  it  was  worked  b\'  boiling,'  or  by  holdinj^  over  the  fire. 
It  is  8  inches  lon^^f,  the  bowl  bein;,'  4.5  lon;j[  b\-  2.3  wide  with 
sides  0.1  inch  in  thickness. 

Gun  Cases.  All  the  Northern  Indians  have  a  covering  of  cloth 
or  leather  for  their  guns.  These  are  usuall\'  of  either  moose  or 
caribouskin.  ornamented  with  fringes  of  quill  worked  leather 
strings,  beads  and  bands  of  porcuj^ne  ciuills.  The  case  is  not 
fastened  in  any  wa\-  and  ma\-  be  readil\-  slipped  off  so  that  it  is 
kept  upon  the  gun  until  the  hunter  is  about  to  shoot.  Not 
unfrequently  a  wing  shot  is  lost  b)'  the  gun  cover  catching  on 
the  hammers  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment.  I  obtained  a 
well-worn  specimen,  No.  10,839,  from  the  Uog  Ribs.  It  is  of 
caribou  leather,  52  inches  long,  9  inches  across  the  larger  end, 
2  at  the  other.  It  is  made  of  two  pieces  with  a  single  seam 
along  the  side  sewed  with  heav\'  sinew.  It  is  not  ornamented 
save  b}'  a  few  tags  of  caribouskin  at  the  smaller  end.  It  is  old, 
torn  and  a  poor  cover  even  for  an  Indian  to  carry. 

There  is  another  case,  No  1,090,  which  was  made  by  a  Trout 
Lake  Indian  woman,  who  had  seen  white  people  but  on  one  or 
two  flN'ing  visits  to  Providence.  It  is  of  mooseskin,  well  made 
and  tastefully  decorated.  The  butt  is  eight  inches  across  and 
ornamented  by  two  bands  of  porcupine  quills,  worked  with  a 
neat  geometrical  pattern  in  four  colors  and  edged  with  beads. 
It  is  gathered  over  the  hammer  by  another  broad  band  of  quills, 
and  tapers  slightly  in  the  barrel  to  the  muzzle  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  quills  and  ^rminated  b)'  a  number  of  moose  leather 
strings,  lo  inches  long  whipped  at  the  base  with  quills.  A  simi- 
lar but  shorter  fringe  of  caribouskin  is  sewed  under  each  band 
of  quills.  A  half  inch  strip  of  strouding  extends  along  the  seam 
from  the  muzzle  to  the  band  six  inches  from  the  butt. 

Game  Bags.  The  various  tribes  of  Athabascans  use  a  game 
bag  of  their  own  manufacture,  which  is  everywhere  of  the  same 
pattern.  It  is  woven  from  small  babiche  with  an  open  mesh  so 
that  the  snow  will  fall  through  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  vevy 
light  and  strong.  A  line  attached  at  the  top  passes  across  the 
points  of  the  shoulders  and  the  breast  when  carrying  a  load. 
No.  10,831  was  obtained  from  the  Dog  Ribs.     It  is  20  inches 


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ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


179 


long  and  li  deep.  The  front  is  made  with  eight  bands  of  open 
work,  each  a  half  inch  in  width  and  stained  black  or  red.  The 
ends  are  of  dressed  leather,  2.5  inches  wide.  The  back  has  five 
bands  of  open  mesh  one  inch  apart.  The  top  is  of  caribou 
leather,  3  inches  wide,  with  two  sinuous  lines  of  porcupine 
quills,  which  are  sewed  on  without  the  slightest  attempt  at 
harmony  of  colors.  There  is  a  hem  of  blue  strouding  around 
the  top.  Three  thongs  in  front  serve  to  close  the  bag  by  pass- 
ing through  loops  in  the  back.  The  front  is  ornamented  by 
tags  of  colored  worsted.  The  line  attached  to  the  end  loops  is 
of  four-ply  babiche,  two  feet  long. 

A  specimen  made  by  the  Hare  Indians  at  Good  Hope,  differs 
slightly  in  detail  and  is  more  decorated  and  with  better  taste. 

Babiche.  This  is  a  line  cut  from  a  wet,  partially  dressed  skin 
and  stretched  and  dried.  Two  women  work  together  in  cutting 
babiche;  one  holds  the  skin  and  the  line  as  it  is  cut;  the  other 
draws  the  knife  in  long  steady  strokes,  skilfully  gauging  the 
width  with  her  thumb.  Two  lines  are  usually  cut  together.  A 
caribouskin  fairh'  riddled  with  grub  holes  may  be  quickly 
transformed  into  a  strong  and  serviceable  line.  The  collection 
contains  several  specimens  of  babiche,  No.  9,638,  and  articles 
made  from  it.  No.  10,833  is  a  line  used  by  the  Dog  Ribs  in 
lacing  sleds,  etc.  It  is  of  six-ply  braided  babiche,  0.4  inch  wide 
and  30  feet  long.  I  saw  a  few  an  inch  wide  and  several  fathoms 
long  and  stained,  but  these  were  unusually  large  and  they  are 
not  usually  colored. 

Deer  Snare.  These  are  now  used  as  a  last  resort  when  am- 
munition cannot  be  obtained.  I  saw  but  two  in  the  country. 
One  of  these.  No.  10,839,  is  of  three-ply  twisted  babiche. 

Dog  Whips.  I  purchased  specimen  No.  10,832  as  a  type  of 
the  dog  whip  used  by  the  Northern  Indians.  The  stock  is  of 
birch,  a  foot  in  length  and  i  inch  in  diameter.  There  is  a  raised 
section  in  the  middle,  marked  with  raised  incised  lines.  The 
handle  is  4.7  inches  long  and  enlarged  at  the  end  to  prevent 
its  slipping  through  the  hand.  The  outer  end  is  flattened  on 
opposite  sides  to  receive  the  broad  thongs  from  the  lash  which 
are  seized  with  babiche  in  two  circular  grooves.  The  lash  is 
50  inches  long  and  0.3  inch  in  diameter.  It  is  smoothly  rounded, 
ten-ply  braid,  and  is  loaded  with  shot.  The  cracker  is  11.5 
inches   long  of  three-ply  twisted  babiche.     Near  the  handle 


:^:5^%^i.*(«j*S?/ 


i"*^iirir"ytiliiii'  "iHiiBliliiT  ' 


1 80 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


ir.    . 


J 1 . 

14 . 


i^ 


there  are  eleven  c)  lindrical  tags  of  tin  pinched  upon  the  ends 
of  short  thonf^s.  These  make  a  loud  rattling  noise  which  the 
dogs  recognize  as  a  danger  signal.  I  saw  but  one  which  was 
more  elaborately  carved  and  this  was  unfortunately  lost  when 
reluming  from  the  musk-ox  hunt.  The  metis  usually  have  a 
large  bunch  of  worsted  on  the  handle  to  prevent  the  whip  from 
sinking  from  sight  when  dropped  in  soft  snow.  The  whip  is 
usually  carried  with  a  bight  of  the  lash  drawn  under  the  belt. 

Rattle.  A  child's  rattle  is  sometimes  made  by  the  Dog  Ribs 
of  shot  and  caribouskin  parchment.  I  obtained  a  specimen, 
No.  10,827,  which  has  a  handle  of  birch  bent  in  the  form  of  an 
elongated  figure  6.  It  is  8  inches  long.  The  head  is  3  inches 
in  diameter  and  0.8  inch  in  thickness. 

Idol.  Old  Ooskanatchet,  of  the  Narrows  of  the  .Saskatche- 
wan, r  ;ide  a  small  image  for  me,  which  he  said  represented  the 
Crec  death  angel— the  Pauguk,  one  of  the  most  dreaded  of  the 
heathen  deities.  The  figure.  No.  9,610,  is  of  moose  leather 
stuffed  with  rags.  The  body  and  arms  are  sewed  with  a  welt 
which  projects  half  an  inch  and  is  cut  in  a  fringe.  There  is  an 
extra  piece  over  each  shoulder  and  a  narrow  apron  in  front,  also 
fringed.  The  head  is  a  flat  piece  of  birch  wood  with  a  hole 
drilled  through  for  a  mouth  and  two  leaden  plugs  for  eyes;  the 
face  is  concave  and  the  back  of  the  head  convex.  The  face, 
shoulder  and  arm  fringes  and  the  middle  of  the  legs  are  colored 
a  deep  crimson,  probably  with  a  dje  obtained  from  the  trader. 
The  sid(;s  of  the  head  are  burned  black  with  a  hot  iron. 

Pipes.  The  Indians  now  use  imported  clay  and  wooden  pipes 
and  only  two  stone  pipes  w( '--:  seen  in  the  North,  both  of  which 
were  collected.  One  of  these.  No.  9,594,  is  of  fine-grained 
sandstone,  discolored  and  darkened  through  long  use.  It  is 
ornamented  with  incised  lines  next  the  stem  and  with  rows 
of  irregular  circular  depressions  around  the  top  and  base  of 
the  bowl.  It  is  2.3  inches  deep  and  1.4  inches  across  the  top 
of  the  bowl.  The  base  is  quadrangular,  I  inch  across  and  3 
inches  long.  Thv,  stem  is  16.4  inches  long  and  0.6  of  an  inch 
in  diameter. 

The  other,  lio.  9,632,  is  of  fine  grained  schist  with  a  brass 
finger  ring  around  the  top  of  the  bowl.  It  is  well  made  but 
without  ornament  except  two  incised  lines  upon  one  side  of  the 
base.  The  bowl  is  0.8  inches  across  the  top  and  2.3  inches  deep. 
The  base  is  1.7  inches  long,  0.8  wide  and  0.3  thick. 


ETHNOLOGICAL   M^^TERIAL 


i8i 


EcagOO.  There  are  two  of  these  in  the  collection,  both 
obtained  of  Dog  Ribs  at  Rae.  I  saw  the  same  apparatus  in  use 
among  the  Stonej'  Indians  of  Morley,  and  among  the  Slavejs' 
at  Providence.  No.  10,844  consists  of  three  small  pieces  of 
bone  rudely  fashioned  in  hollow  cones  through  which  passes 
a  slender  thread  of  twisted  sinew.  Each  cone  is  1.5  inches  long 
and  0.8  inch  in  diameter  at  the  larger  end.  They  are  hollowed 
at  the  base  so  that  they  fit  into  each  other.  The  thread  is  six 
inches  in  length  and  is  attached  to  a  strip  of  caribouskin  at  one 
end.  This  leather  is  4.5  inches  long  and  has  nine  slits  reaching 
within  half  an  inch  of  the  ends  and  in  which  the  point  ma)-  catch 
in  throwing.  The  needh?  is  of  bone  2  inches  long  and  o.i  inch 
in  diameter.  It  is  attached  to  the  end  of  the  thread  which  is 
towards  the  base  of  the  cones.  In  using  the  ecagoo  the  thumb 
and  forefinger  grasp  the  end  of  the  needle  where  it  is  enlarged 
by  the  sinew  seizing,  and  the  whole  is  swung  outward  and  up- 
ward. The  thread  is  just  long  enough  to  admit  the  point  of 
the  needle  into  the  base  of  the  first  cone,  when  they  are  crowded 
into  each  other.  The  object  to  be  attained  is  to  pass  the  needle 
through  the  center  of  the  cones  or  a  slit  in  the  leather  at  the 
top  as  the  ecagoo  falls.  In  gambling,  a  score  is  kept  of  the 
points  made.  Johnnie  Cohoyla,  from  whom  I  obtained  this, 
in  the  use  of  which  he  was  an  adept,  said  that  the  catching  the 
point  in  the  slits  scored  one,  on  the  first  cone,  five,  in  first  and 
second,  ten,  in  all  three,  fifteen,  and  in  second  and  third,  twenty. 
I  saw  it  used  in  his  camp  as  a  gambling  device,  but  elsewhere 
merely  as  a  child's  toy. 

No.  10,847,  differs  frorr.  this  only  in  having  a  wooden  needle. 

Snow-shoe  Needle.  These  are  made  of  bone  or  wood  and  are 
used  in  lacing  snow-shoes.     A  specimen  in  the  collection  from 

'  The  Montagnais  of  Labrador  have  a  simihir  apparatus  which  Hind  de- 
scribes as  made  of  wood  and  resembling  the  nah-ba-wah-gun-nuit  of  the  Ojib- 
ways,  which  is  constructed  in  the  following  manner:  "The  bones  are  made 
from  the  hoof  of  the  deer  or  caribou,  and  made  to  fit  one  within  the  other  to 
the  number  of  12,  the  one  nearest  the  hand  when  the  instrument  is  held  for 
play  being  the  largest.  The  players  agree  upon  the  stakes  which  are 
placed  before  them  in  the  lodge,  and  one  of  them  takes  the  bones  and  be- 
gins to  play.  His  objeci  is  to  catch  as  many  as  he  can  on  the  needle  or 
skewer  in  a  certain  number  of  trials.  The  last  bone,  if  caught  singly  in 
one  of  the  holes  drilled  through  it,  counts  highest;  if  the  tail  is  caught  it 
also  counts  next  to  the  last  bone."    The  Labrador  Peninsula,  Vol.  I,  p.  277. 


l82 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


Grand  Rapids,  No.  9,612,  is  of  bone.  It  is  5.6  inches  long  and 
0.3  inch  wide  in  the  middle  whence  it  tapers  to  a  rather 
sharply  pointed  end.  The  babiche  passes  through  a  hole  in 
the  center. 

Rabbit  Snares.  The  northern  hare  is  taken  in  snares  made 
of  wrapping  or  netting  twine.  To  avoid  the  exposure  of  the 
hands,  in  setting  them  with  slip  knots  to  trip  the  spring,  they 
are  provided  with  short  sticks  which  act  as  levers.  A  typical 
specimen,  No.  9,617,  is  of  wrapping  twine  25  inches  long  with 
a  slip  noose  at  the  lower  end  and  a  loop  at  the  upper  to  pass 
over  the  end  of  the  spring.  The  catch  stick  is  3  inches  from 
the  loop  and  is  2.7  inches  long  by  0.25  in  diameter.  It  is  fas- 
tened by  a  simple  knot  at  each  end. 

Pack  Saddles.  The  collection  contains  two  frames  from  the 
Piegan  reservation  near  Macleod.  One  of  these.  No.  11,230,  is 
of  v.o  curved  slabs  of  pine  joined  at  the  ends  by  strongly 
arched  sections  of  deer  antler.  The  sides  are  18.5  inches  long 
b)-  5.25  wide  and  curved  to  fit  the  back  of  the  horse.  They  are 
firml)'  lashed  to  the  arches  which  rise  4  inches  above  them  and 
hold  them  5  inches  apart.  The  whole  is  covered  with  a  single 
pice  of  rawhide.  The  girth  was  attached  to  thongs  passed 
through  two  holes  at  each  end  of  the  side  pieces. 

Snow-shoes.  There  is  a  pair  of  small  or  "tripping"  snow- 
shoes  in  the  collection.  No.  10,826,  trom  Grand  Rapids.  Ihey 
were  intended  for  use  on  hard  snow,  either  upon  Lake  Winnipeg 
or  in  traveling  behind  a  loaded  sled  through  the  bush.  The 
frame  is  of  birch  wood,  42  inches  long  and  9  wide.  The  sides 
curve  upward  in  front  meeting  in  a  point.  Each  piece  is  0.8 
inch  wide  and  1.25  inches  deep.  There  are  three  bars;  the 
smallest  serves  to  spread  the  frame  at  the  upward  curve;  7 
inches  back  of  this  is  the  toe  bar,  which  is  1.2  inches  wide  and 
0.3  inch  thick,  with  its  edges  well  rounded.  It  is  12  inches 
from  this  to  the  heel  bar,  which  is  somewhat  smaller.  The 
sides  are  fastened  at  the  rear  by  a  single  heavy  screw,  the 
point  of  which  is  cut  off  flush  with  the  surface.  They  are  not 
"rights  and  lefts;"  such  shoes  are  not  met  with  among  the 
Wood  Crees.  Along  the  sides  of  the  toe  and  heel  spaces,  a 
pair  of  holes  a  half  inch  apart  appear  at  intervals  of  2  inches, 
through  which  a  strand  of  babiche  is  fastened  in  a  simple  knot 
holding  a  tuft  of  colored  worsted  on  the  outside  of  the  frame 


1,111  till. i\   'iMiw    ■-im 


Ml    rilFU-.!  IN. 


m 

Ip;-,'' 

!■■' 

mi-'' 

^ivrti 


i   fi 


I        Hi: 


m 


ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


1S3 


t-i 


and  by  the  beckets  on  the  inside  affording  attachment  for  the 
lacings.  The  foot  lacing  is  of  heavier  babiche,  with  a  little  larger 
mesh,  and  passes  at  the  sides  around  the  frame  which  is  wrap- 
ped with  print  to  prevent  wearing  on  the  sharp  edges.  The  toe 
hole  is  transversely  oblong,  2.8  by  2.2  inches.  The  bridles  on 
its  sides  are  of  5  strands  of  babiche  loosely  wrapped. 

There  is  also  a  pair,  No.  10,849,  of  hunting  snow-shoes  from 
the  same  locality.  They  are  75  inches  long  and  15.5  wide.  The 
side  pieces  are  oblong  with  their  greatest  width  transverse  in 
front  and  vertical  at  the  sides  and  rear.  They  curve  upward 
II  inches  in  front  where  they  meet  in  a  point  and  are  secured 
by  two  strands  of  babiche  through  holes  on  the  inner  side. 
They  are  not  wrapped  under  the  foot  lacing.  The  holes  along 
the  sides  pass  obliquely  outward  id  meet  at  the  outer  surface 
where  they  are  closed  by  wooden  pins.  There  are  5  bars,  2  of 
them  supporting  the  frame  in  front  of  the  toe  bar.  The  toe  hole 
is  4.2  inches  wide,  bordered  by  bridles  of  4  strands  carelessly 
wrapped.  The  upper  surface  of  the  bars  and  of  the  rounded 
point  of  the  frame  are  dyed  purple.  These  are  typical  speci- 
mens of  the  snow-shoes  used  by  the  Crees. 

The  pair  of  Loucheux  snow-shoes.  No.  10,848,  in  the  collec- 
tion is  by  far  the  most  skilfully  made  of  any  that  I  have  seen 
in  the  North.  They  are  61  inches  long  by  12.5  wide.  The  siaes 
curve  upward,  but  are  broadly  rounded  in  front  and  meet  in  a 
long  lap-splice.  The  side  pieces  are  elliptical,  flattened  in  sec- 
tion, I.I  inches  in  their  greatest  vertical  diameter  by  0.8  in  the 
transverse.  The  side  holes  meet  within  the  side  strips  and  do 
not  pass  through,  except  at  the  foot  lacing  which  passes  through 
5  holes.  The  beckets  of  the  toe  and  heel  lacing  are  short — 1.5 
inches,  and  the  babiche  used  is  very  small.  An  incised  line  ex- 
tends from  end  to  end  above  the  lacing.  The  foot  lacing  con- 
sists of  6  heavy  transverse  strands  of  babiche,  the  first  2  of 
which  are  gathered  together  behind  the  toe  hole,  and  of  2  bri- 
dles of  5  strands  neatly  whipped,  from  toe  to  heel  bar.  Single 
strands  of  babiche,  parallel  with  the  frame,  fill  the  rest  of  the 
space.  There  is  a  single  strand  of  fine  babiche  passing  along 
the  middle  of  the  toe  and  heel  lacing;  along  this  are  oval  spots 
colored,  as  is  the  entire  framework,  with  red  ochre. 

Amulets.  While  with  the  Dog  Ribs  I  noticed  two  bunches  of 
antler  points  which  were  carried  while  hunting  caribou,  either 


-i   - 


i^iHIKUa&MlUt 


Pi;.-,;;. 


184 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


through  a  superstitious  belief  in  the  ding  the  wearer  or  to 
be  used  as  rattles,  as  a  piece  of  birch  ur  deer's  scapula  some- 
times is,  to  lure  deer  or  moose  within  range  of  the  hunter's  rifle. 
Not  without  difficulty  I  secured  a  specimen,  No.  10,846,  which 
had  been  carried  by  Johnnie  Cohoyla.  It  contains  4  points,  6 
inches  in  length,  which  have  been  roughly  cut  from  the  antler 
with  an  ax.  The  tips  are  held  within  an  inch  of  each  other  by 
sinew  threads  tied  in  a  deep  circular  groove;  these  lines  are 
braided  together  a  distance  of  2  inches  and  attached  to  the  mid- 
dle of  a  birch  stick  2  inches  long  which  is  jjassed  under  the  belt. 
In  addition  to  the  specimens  here  described,  the  collection 
contains  a  number  of  articles  which  I  obtained  at  Grand  Rapids. 


3  Stone  pipes 

1  Clay  pipe 

2  Skin  scrapers 

I  Flat  skin  scraper 

Shot 
I  Pan 

Fire  steel 

3  Buttons 
Touchwood 
Knife 


Cs-si-mi-us-pwa-gun 

Wa-pe-tu-nisk  us-pwa-gun 

Miq-ki-kwun 

Pusk-wu-hi-kun 

Sin-i-e 

Pi-we-bis  wi-na-gun 

A-pet 

Sa-go-pa-sun-uk 


Pu-sa-gun 

Mo-ko-man,  Kichi-mo-ko-man 

(Big  Knife,  uatne  given  to  "  Americans  " — citizens  of  the  United  States. 
Compare  thf  Athabascan  Bischo.) 

Canoe  model  Wtisk-wai-che-man 

2  Paddles  E-pu-i 

7  Rogans  Wusk-wai-in-e-kum 

Birch  cups  Wusk-na  min-ik-wa-gun 

Flat  sled  Nuk-yu-ti-pan-ask 

6  Books  printed  in  syllabic  characters. 
5  Letters  written  by  Cree  children. 

Duffels,  cradle,  thread,  moccasins,  snow-shoe  needle,  netting 
needle,  dressed  skins. 


i  J 


Methods  of  Dressing  Skins  Employed  by 
THE  Wood  Crees. 

Moose.  In  former  times,  when  the  Indian  was  an  unre- 
strained carnivore,  moose  might  be  had  for  the  killing.  Now 
they  are  becoming  rare,  though  Grand  Rapids  is  one  of  the 


ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


185 


posts  at  which  they  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  furnish  all  the 
leather  needed  in  that  locality. 

With  no  other  tools  than  a  knife  and  the  leg  bones  of  the 
animal  killed,  and  no  other  tanning  agent  than  its  brain,  an 
'''old  wife"  can  convert  a  green  mooseskin,  weighing  fifty 
pounds,  into  light  serviceable  leather  in  five  days.  The  finished 
product  is  soft  and  pliable,  nearly  as  thick  though  far  inferior 
in  wearing  quality  to  cowhide. 

The  process,  though  simple,  requires  a  good  deal  of  labor. 
The  fresh  skin  is  trimmed  and  stretched  in  an  oblong  frame,  8 
or  10  feet  across,  which  is  made  by  lashing  four  poles  together. 
Every  particle  of  flesh  is  then  scraped  or  rather  gouged  from 
the  inside.  This  is  done  with  a  graining  tool  made  from  a  leg 
bone  by  cutting  off  one  end  and  sharpening  the  shaft.  This 
instrument  applied  for  a  few  minutes  to  a  green  hide  by  a  skil- 
ful "old  wife,"  will  save  the  future  taxidermist  hours  of  labor 
with  the  steel  scraper. 

Wh  n  the  skin  is  half  dried  the  hair  is  scraped  off.  A  horn 
or  bone  instrument  may  be  used  for  this  purpose,  though  the 
skins  which  I  have  seen  dressed  were  trimmed  with  an  adze 
made  from  an  old  hatchet  blade,  set  transversely  in  a  clumsy 
wooden  handle  which  was  about  18  inches  in  length. 

The  skin  may  now  be  dried  as  parchment  and  used  in  making 
carioles,  etc;  if  it  is  to  be  made  into  leather  it  is  sprinkled  with 
a  little  oil.  Fish  oil  is  preferred  as  it  is  most  readily  absorbed. 
It  is  then  smoked  slightly  on  the  outside  and  soaked  over  night 
in  water  containing  the  brains  of  an  animal  from  which  the  skin 
was  taken,  or  from  any  other  freshly  killed.  It  is  soaked  the 
next  day  in  water,  then  pulled  before  the  fire  until  dry  and  soft. 
Finally  the  leather  is  smoked  over  a  fire  of  rotten  wood,  until 
it  takes  on  a  light  yellowish  brown  color;  if  ordinary  dry  wood 
is  used  it  becomes  black  instead  of  brown. 

Deer.  A  deerskin  is  treated  in  a  similar  manner  until  it  is 
ready  to  be  dried;  it  is  thinned  down  by  shaving  on  the  grained 
side.  The  instrument  used  is  the  beaming  tool,^  It  resembles 
a  carpenter's  drawing  knife  but  is  pushed  away  from,  instead 
of  drawn  towards,  the  operator.  While  it  is  being  scraped  the 
skin  is  held  upon  a  peeled  log  which  is  5  or  6  inches  in  diameter 
and  as  many  feet  in  length.     The  leather  is  made  much  thin- 

1  See  p.  177,  ante. 


/]■ 


■gw^f  wiii  iTiaBii  ar 'fiT  iitfir 


"*»■■■.  ■■■^ fin— Mm..^. 


i86 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


l(  ^ 


ner  and  softer  than  that  made  from  mooseskin.  The  hair  is 
usually  removed  from  deerskin  with  a  sharp  knife  af  er  which 
the  flat  scraper  is  used.  It  is  then  soaked  in  brain  water  and 
hung  out  to  freeze;  when  it  softens  a  little  it  is  taken  in  by  the 
fire  and  pulled.  An  iron  hoop,  in  which  teeth  have  been  cut, 
is  hung  on  the  wall  by  a  line;  the  skin  is  then  drawn  back  and 
forth  through  the  hoop  and  is  occasionally  warmed  before  the 
fire  during  the  process.  If  it  is  to  be  finished  as  white  leather 
it  is  hung  out  of  doors  until  bleached  to  a  snowy  whiteness.  It 
is  then  smoothed  with  a  piece  of  porous  bone  until  it  is  soft 
and  velvety. 


il 


It 


air  IS 
vhich 
r  and 
»y  the 
n  cut, 
<  and 
e  the 
:ather 

5S.     It 

s  soft 


i 


woman's  dress,  iikrsciiki,  isi.an'd  i:skimos. 


Ml. 


I! 


CHAPTER  XI 

ETHNOLOGICAL  MATERIAL  OBTAINED  FROM 

THE  ESKIMOS 


THESE  specimens  were  secured  from  the  central  Eskimos 
who  trade  at  McPherson,  from  Herschel  Island  natives, 
and  from  the  Western  Eskimos,  either  directly  or  through  the 
kindness  of  the  whalers.  Such  material  has  been  sought  after 
so  long  and  so  persistently  that  the  only  wonder  is  that  a  single 
genuine  article  of  native  manufacture  and  use  remains.  I  was 
without  goods  with  which  to  purchase  specimens,  and  in  many 
cases  the  prices  demanded  were  exorbitant.  The  Eskimos  made 
many  articles  for  sale  after  ancient  patterns  which  are  now  no 
lonper  used.  Unless  otherwise  noted,  the  following  brief  de- 
scriptions are  of  specimens  which  show  unmistakable  evidence 
of  their  genuineness. 

Clothing.  The  Eskimo  costume  is  well  suited  to  the  needs  of 
its  wearer.  The  whalers  have  adopted  it,  even  for  summer  use. 
Sealskin  boots  are  supplied  to  every  man  before  the  mast,  and 
seal  and  caribouskin  frocks  are  always  in  demand.  The  women 
wear  frocks  with  rounded  skirts  reaching  to  the  knees  and  open 
at  the  sides. 

Frock.  The  collection  contains  a  specimen.  No.  10,905,  which 
was  worn  by  a  "Kosmollik"  woman  at  Herschel  Island.  The 
body  of  the  garment  is  of  plain  brown  caribouskin  in  the  sum- 
mer hair.  A  large  proportion  of  the  costumes  of  the  Herschel 
Island  natives  was  of  spotted  Siberian  reindeerskin,  obtained 
both  by  trade  among  themselves  and  from  the  whalers.  The 
hood  is  large  but  is  not  bagged  at  the  nape  for  carrying  a  child. 
Its  sides  are  cut  from  the  under  parts  of  the  skin,  so  that  the 
margin  around  the  face  and  the  V-shaped  throatpiece  on  each 
side  is  white,  shading  into  dark  brown  behind.  It  is  edged 
with  two  strips  of  mountain  sheepskin  with  the  hair  closely 

187 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


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trimmed.  The  inner  strip  is  .25  and  the  outer  .5  inch  wide,  with 
bits  of  red  and  blue  worsted,  so  small  as  to  be  scarcely  notice- 
able, sewed  in  between.  The  back  of  the  hood  contains  a  nar- 
row pointed  piece,  continuous  with  the  body  of  the  garment 
which  is  bordered  by  sheepskin.  The  front  and  back  are  each 
in  a  single  piece.  Under  the  armpits  lighter  colored  pieces 
are  inserted  with  tags  of  red  worsted  in  the  seams.  The  skirts 
are  bordered  by  four  strips  of  sheepskin  with  worsted  in  the 
seams,  and  trimmed  with  wolverine  fur  sewed  to  a  half  inch 
strip  of  caribouskin,  having  the  fur  inside.  The  arms  are  short; 
they  are  trimmed  at  the  wrist  by  a  half  inch  band  of  caribou- 
skin.  The  seams,  at  the  shoulders  and  elsewhere,  are  orna- 
mented with  a  3  inch  fringe  of  caribouskin.  The  length  in  the 
back  is  38  inches,  the  front  flap  being  2  inches  shorter.  It  is 
23  inches  across  the  shoulders  and  20  at  the  waist.  The  sleeves 
are  12  inches  long  and  7  wide.  This  is  a  rather  plain  dress 
frock,  but  is  much  better  than  those  in  common  use  which  are 
lined  with  drilling  or  calico  and  worn  with  the  fur  side  in. 

Rain  Frock.  At  Cape  Tchaplin  I  obtainea  a  specimen,  No. 
10,991,  of  the  "  Massinker  rain  coat."  It  is  a  frock  made  of  seal 
intestine,  ornamented  with  narrow  strips  of  the  fur  seal  on  the 
shoulders  and  hood,  and  with  the  hair  of  the  young  seal  sewed 
upon  the  outside  of  the  seams  elsewhere.  The  hood  is  small 
and  close  fitting.  The  sleeves  are  13  inches  long  and  8  wide. 
The  strips  of  intestine  are  4  inches  wide  and  6  feet  long,  the 
garment  being  3  feet  across  the  waist.  There  are  8  breadths  in 
the  front,  making  it  32  inches  long.  The  wrists  and  skirt  are 
trimmed  with  white  hair,  apparently  plucked  from  a  polar  bear- 
skin. The  seal  hair  is  not  continuous  but  interrupted  every  3.5 
inches  by  a  clear  space  of  i  inch.  This  garment  was  obtained 
from  a  wealthy  young  Tchukche,  for  whom  it  was  more  elabo- 
rately trimmed  than  such  garments  usually  are.  It  is  very 
light  and  flexible  yet  perfectly  waterproof. 

Trousers.  Trousers  are  worn  by  the  women  both  with  and 
without  a  continuous  foot  covering.  Those  worn  by  the  men 
are  shorter  and  not  attached  to  the  boots.  A  pair  of  woman's 
pantaloons.  No.  10,903,  were  obtained  with  the  frock,  No. 
10,905,  which  are  rather  roughly  made  of  winter  caribouskin, 
worn  with  the  hair  inside.  They  are  lower  behind  than  in  front 
and  made  to  fit  rather  closely  to  the  leg.   The  foot  is  unshapely 


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and  intended  to  be  worn  inside  of  boots.  The  leg  is  in  a  single 
piece  ornamented  along  the  outer  seam  with  ten  caribou  leather 
strings  whipped  with  red  and  purple  porcupine  quills.  With 
the  view  to  improve  upon  the  appearance  of  this  garment  they 
often  wear  tight-fitting  red  flannel  drawers  outside. 

Mittens.  The  collection  contains  a  pair  of  mittens,  No.  10,908, 
of  polar  bearskin,  which  were  obtained  at  Herschel  Island, 
They  were  said  to  be  used  temporarily  as  brooms  in  brushing 
away  snow,  with  the  long  hair,  rather  than  as  a  regular  protec- 
tion for  the  hands.  They  are  short,  unlined  and  without  a  con- 
necting cord. 

Boots.  There  are  three  pairs  of  boots  in  the  collection,  all  of 
which  were  made  upon  the  Siberian  coast.  A  pair  from  Cape 
Tchaplin,  No.  10,911,  is  of  the  common  type  used  by  the  natives 
in  summer,  hundreds  of  pairs  of  which  are  made  for  the  whal- 
ers. The  soles  are  of  heavy  black  sealskin  roughly  crimped 
The  leg  is  of  more  flexible  sealskin  with  the  hair  removed,  and 
reaches  above  the  calf  where  it  is  tied  with  a  drawing-string  of 
seal  thong.  There  is  a  pair  of  broad  thongs  sewed  into  the 
seams  on  each  side  ui"  che  instep  which  pass  through  a  loop  on 
each  side  of  the  heel  and  around  the  ankle  and  tie  in  front. 

Another  pair,  No.  10,912,  from  the  same  locality,  has  legs  of 
sealskin  in  the  hair  which  is  worn  outside.  Hip  boots  are  some- 
times made  of  sealskin  from  which  the  hair  has  been  removed. 

I  obtained  a  pair  of  dress  boots.  No.  10,910,  which  were  made 
at  East  Cape,  Siberia.  The  sole  is  of  white  whaleskin  neatly 
crimped  at  the  toe  and  heel.  The  leg  is  of  Siberian  reindeer- 
skin  in  four  pieces,  those  in  front  and  rear  being  white  with 
oblique  patches  of  brown  at  the  top;  the  side  pieces  entirely 
brown.  Around  the  top  of  these  is  a  band  of  marten  fur  i  inch 
in  width,  above  which  is  a  i  inch  band  of  caribouskin;  the  hair 
of  this  is  trimmed  in  two  bands  down  to  the  skin  between 
which  a  strip  of  sealskin  ^  inch  wide,  holding  tags  of  red  and 
blue  worsted,  is  sewed.  At  the  top  is  a  i  inch  band  of  dark 
caribouskin  which  contains  the  drawing-string  of  seal  thong, 
which  is  about  the  size  of  common  babiche.  Between  leg  and 
sole  is  a  piece  of  red-tanned  sealskin,  3  inches  wide.  The  grain 
side  is  out.  The  tie  strings  are  of  the  same  m.aterial.  They 
are  i  mch  wide  where  they  are  sewed  in  above  the  red  leather 
and  are  30  inches  long. 


i  A 


IQO       EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 

Buttons.  A  few  buttons  of  native  manufacture  are  still  in 
use.  Specimen  No.  10,908  will  serve  as  a  type.  It  is  of  walrus 
ivory,  1.75  inches  in  length.  It  is  carved  in  the  form  of  a  whale 
with  four  transverse  lines  across  the  outer  face.  There  is  a 
slight  projection  on  the  back  under  which  a  hole  has  been 
drilled  for  the  sinew  thread. 

LabretS.  The  majority  of  the  men  among  the  American  Es- 
kimos west  of  Cape  Bathurst  wear  these  alleged  ornaments. 
While  at  McPherson  my  attention  was  attracted  to  one  old 
man,  with  long  snow-white  hair,  who  had  his  face  disfigured 
with  an  unusually  large  pair  of  marble  labrets.  The  first  man 
whom  we  met  west  of  the  Mackenzie  wore  a  large,  very  con- 
spicuous labret  with  half  of  a  large  blue  bead  attached  to  the 
marble  flange  and  surrounded  by  a  disk  of  walrus  ivory  1.5 
inches  in  diameter.  The  practice  seems  to  be  falling  into  disfa- 
vor at  Herschel  Island,  where  several  of  the  joung  men  did  not 
have  their  lips  pierced;  others  wore  but  one  labret,  or  a  part  of 
the  time  none.  Several  wore  labrets  made  of  glass  stoppers, 
with  the  heads  ground  down  for  flanges.  Individuals  wearing 
one  plug-shaped  labret  seemed  to  delight  in  shifting  it  with  the 
tongue  from  one  side  of  the  mouth  to  the  other. 

Specimen  No.  11, 028  is  of  the  commonest  type.  It  is  of  pol- 
ished marble  with  a  rounded  head  0.7  inch  in  diameter;  the 
f?ange  is  i  inch  long  and  0.6  inch  wide;  it  is  curved  slightly  to 
fit  the  jaw.  This  labret,  purchased  from  the  wearer,  is  almost 
identical  in  size  and  shape  with  a  ver)-  old  pair  from  a  grave  at 
Stokes'  Point. 

Another  specimen,  No.  11,031,  resembles  the  ancient  single 
labrets  which  are  said  to  have  been  worn  at  Point  Barrow.  It 
is  of  steatite,  2.2  inches  long  by  0.9  wide  and  0.5  inch  thick.' 

Pipes.  The  collection  contains  eleven  pipes  of  walrus  ivorj' 
and  two  with  wooden  stems.  Those  of  ivory  were  probably 
made  for  sale,  as  they  habitually  use  pipes  with  metal  or  stone 
bowls.  A  pipe  from  the  Anderson  River,  No.  10,858,  will 
serve  as  a  typical  specimen.  The  stem  is  of  birch  wood,  12.5 
inches  long,  i.i  in  its  greatest  diameter  and  diamond-shaped  in 
section.  It  is  of  two  pieces,  one  upon  the  other,  firmh'  lashed 
together  with  thong,  which  also  secures  the  foot  of  the  bowl. 
There  is  no  mouthpiece  or  picker.     The  bowl  is  of  iion,  1.5 

>  See  Murdoch,  John,  Xiiith  Ann.  /i\/>.  Jiiir.  of  Et/i.,  p.  143. 


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ESKIMO   ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


191 


inches  deep  with  an  internal  diameter  of  only  0.3  inch.  The 
slightly  concave  rim  is  of  brass,  2  inches  in  diameter.  This 
pipe  has  been  used,  as  has  No.  11,003,  which  has  a  brass  picker 
for  cleaning  the  bowl  attached  by  a  double  line  of  braided 
sinew.  The  mouthpiece  is  of  ivory  ornamented  with  grooved 
rings.  The  stem  is  of  a  single  piece  of  birch,  the  hole  through 
it  having  beeti  drilled  from  both  ends,  meeting  in  an  obtuse 
angle  in  the  convex  lower  side  where  the  opening  is  closed  by 
a  small  piece  of  wood  neatly  inlaid.  The  larger  end  is  closed 
by  a  brass  cartridge.  The  bowl  is  of  hard  greenish-gray  stone. 
This  pipe  was  obtained  at  tne  Diomede  Islands. 

At  present  Herschel  Island  Eskimos  use  the  clay  or  wooden 
pipes  obtained  from  the  whalers.  They  have  learned  to  smoke 
cigarettes  and  the  collection  contains  two  carved  cigarette  hold- 
ers of  walrus  ivory. 

From  a  grave  at  Herschel  Island  a  metal  bowl,  No.  10,952, 
was  obtained,  which  has  a  shank  of  lead,  lined  with  copper, 
and  a  copper  ring  around  the  middle.  The  saucer  is  surrounded 
by  a  thin  band  and  its  surface  is  inlaid  with  eight  radiating 
strips  of  copper. 

Eskimo  Weapons. 

The  Central  Eskimos  are  now  supplied  with  American  re- 
peating rifles,  notwithstanding  the  watchfulness  of  the  United 
States  revenue  cutters  which  are  directed  to  enforce  the  laws 
prohibiting  the  entrance  of  rifles  and  liquors  to  the  Alaskan 
natives.  Very  few  of  those  at  Herschel  Island  would  carry  the 
light  muskets  used  by  the  Indians.  Shotguns  are  little  used, 
and  the  strong  sinew-corded  bow  will  soon  be  known  only  by 
tradition. 

bows.  The  Eskimo  bow,  with  its  reinforcement  of  tightly 
twisted  sinew  cable,  is  far  superior  in  strength  and  neatness  to 
the  self  bows  of  the  Northern  Indians.  Three  specimens  were 
collected,  all  of  brittle  spruce  driftwood,  straight  when  relaxed. 
The  largest,  No,  10,859,  is  46  inches  long,  somewhat  elliptical 
in  section,  flattened  upon  the  back  and  narrowed  and  thickened 
at  the  handle  and  near  the  ends.  The  backing  is  a  three-ply 
braid  of  sinew,  twisted  in  two  strands  from  a  point  14  inches 
from  the  handle.  Beyond  the  twisted  portion  it  is  whipped 
firmly  around  the  bow  in  nine  bands  of  4  hitches  each  and  one 


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EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


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of  10.  The  backing  is  seized  at  the  handle  by  sealskin.  The 
string  is  of  several  strands  of  three-ply  braided  sinew  twisted 
together.  It  is  whipped  with  whalebone  at  the  nocking  point  for 
a  distance  of  4  inches.  This  bow  was  obtained  from  the  Richard 
Island  natives,  when  they  visited  McPherson  in  July,  1893. 

The  other  two  specimens  were  obtained  at  Herschel  Island; 
they  are  provided  with  ivory  bridges  and  do  not  differ  from 
the  "Arctic  type"  of  Murdoch. 

Arrows.  There  are  eight  arrows  in  the  collection,  which 
vary  in  length  from  22.5  to  28.5  inches.  Four  are  bird  bolts 
with  short  shafts;  the  others  deer  arrows  with  long,  barbed 
piles  of  walrus  ivory.  All  but  one  have  two  feathers  which  are 
laid  on  straight;  the  shaft  of  the  feather  is  split,  the  web  is  cut 
to  less  than  half  an  inch  in  width  and  tapers  to  the  ends  which 
are  seized  with  fine  sinew  the  end  of  which  is  fastened  in  a  slit 
on  the  stele;  falcon  and  gull  feathers  are  used.  The  shaftment 
is  flattened,  tapering  and  stained  with  red  ochre;  the  shaft  is 
from  0.3  to  0.4  inch  in  diameter  and  elliptical  in  cross  section. 

No.  10,865  is  of  spruce,  28.5  inches  long.  The  pile  is  easily 
detached;  it  is  6  inches  long,  .6  inch  in  diameter  with  a  sharp, 
four-sided  point.  There  are  three  barbs  on  each  edge.  One 
side  is  more  rounded  than  the  other  and  both  are  ornamented 
with  incised  lines.  The  notch  is  U-shaped  and  deeply  cut. 
No.  10,960  has  a  trihedral  pile  with  three  barbs.  No.  10,863  'S 
similrT  but  much  smaller,  being  only  22.75  inches  long.  No. 
10,867  is  a  specimen  of  a  common  type  of  bird  arrows,  used  to 
kill  or  disable  without  piercing.  The  head  is  cylindrical,  .5 
inch  in  diameter  and  1.6  inches  in  length;  four  deep  grooves 
or  notches  give  the  shape  of  a  cross  to  the  blunt  end;  the  tang 
tapers  to  a  point,  so  that  the  pile  may  be  detached  as  easily  as 
the  barbed  ones.  No.  10,864  is  much  larger,  with  a  short  pile 
of  heavy  bone  into  which  a  cylindrical  hole  has  been  bored  to 
admit  the  blunt  tip  of  the  stele. 

There  are  twenty-five  piles  in  the  collection;  they  are  made 
of  shale,  walrus  ivory,  bone  and  steel;  there  are  four  of  bone 
which  are  deeply  concave  on  one  side,  sharp  edged,  with  four 
barbs  near  the  base;  they  are  from  6  to  8  inches  long.  There 
are  four  piles  with  a  barbed  ivory  shank,  into  a  cut  in  the  end 
of  which  is  inserted  a  sagitate  head  of  steel.  No.  10,953  is  an 
iron  pile,  3  inches  long,  with  a  blunt  notched  tip.    It  differs  from 


> 


ESKIMO   ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


193 


, 


the  piles  of  the  other  bird  arrows  in  the  material  from  which  it 
is  made,  and  that  the  tang  is  wedge-chaped.  No.  10,965  is  of 
greyish  shale,  1.2  inches  wide,  and  2.2  inches  long.  No.  10,966 
is  of  dark  indurated  shale,  2  inches  long,  .8  inch  wide,  with  a 
a  broad  tang. 

Harpoons.  Eight  harpoon  heads  were  collected  at  Herschel 
Island;  these  are  of  walrus  ivory  and  heavy  bone.  Owing  to 
the  presence  of  the  whalers  throughout  the  year,  there  is  little 
need  of  such  weapons,  and  they,  with  other  articles  of  Eskimo 
manufacture,  are  going  out  of  use. 

Bird  Darts.  These  are  used  in  capturing  large  birds,  such  as 
geese  and  ducks,  and  are  especially  effective  when  the  birds 
are  unable  to  fly  during  the  moulting  season.  They  are  pro- 
vided with  a  long  heavy  head  and  a  set  of  three  prongs  near 
the  middle  of  the  shaft  the  object  of  which  is  to  catch  the  neck 
of  the  bird  if  missed  by  the  head  of  the  dart.  They  are  thrown 
by  means  of  a  throwing  stick,  of  which  no  specimens  were 
obtained. 

No.  11,032  furnishes  a  good  example  of  the  common  type. 
The  shaft  is  of  spruce,  53.5  inches  long  and  .5  of  an  inch  in 
diameter;  it  is  enlarged  at  the  insertion  of  the  prongs  to  a 
diameter  of  .8  of  an  inch;  the  butt  is  hollowed  slightly  to  fit  a 
projection  on  the  throwing  stick;  the  head  is  of  walrus  ivory,  a 
foot  in  length;  it  is  trihedral,  with  one  sharp  edge  in  which  are 
cut  seven  barbs,  extending  to  within  3  inches  of  the  point;  the 
tang  is  wedge-shaped,  and  secured  by  a  whalebone  pin  and 
strong  lashing  of  sealskin  line;  another  line  passes  through  a 
hole  in  its  base  and  is  made  fast  near  the  butt  of  the  shaft. 
The  prongs  are  of  walrus  ivory,  attached  2  inches  above  the 
middle  of  the  shaft;  they  are  sunk  in  slits  and  bound  at  the 
base  with  braided  sinew,  an  inch  forward  of  this  is  a  hole  in 
each,  through  which  the  line  from  the  head  passes  and  secures 
the  prong  with  two  hitches  around  the  shaft;  two  of  the  prongs 
have  two  barbs  each  on  the  inner  edge,  the  third  has  a  barb  on 
each  side,  so  that  it  would  be  of  service  only  in  piercing  and 
not  by  holding  the  neck  of  a  bird  against  the  shaft. 

No.  11,033  is  somewhat  smaller;  its  line  is  of  two-ply  twisted 
sinew;  the  prongs  are  directed  forward  until  parallel  with  the 
shaft,  and  have  four  barbs  each  on  their  outer  edges,  making 
them  effective  as  piercing  weapons  only. 

13 


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194 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


Knives.  The  Eskimos  inhabiting  the  coast  west  of  Cape 
Bathurst  now  obtain  sheath  or  butcher  knives  from  the  whalers, 
or  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  so  that  flint  and  slate 
are  no  longer  used  for  knife  blades.  Specimen  No.  10,929  has 
a  light  ivory  handle,  7.75  inches  long;  it  is  attached  to  the  steel 
blade  by  steel  rivets;  the  blade  is  5  inches  long  and  1.3  inches 
wide.  This  and  the  crooked  knives  described  below  were 
taken  from  graves  near  Herschel  Island. 

The  crooked  knife  with  the  Eskimo,  as  with  the  Indian,  is  an 
important  tool,  which  he  uses  with  considerable  skill  in  carv- 
ing and  wood-working.  One  of  those  collected.  No.  10,929, 
has  a  bone  shaft  13.5  inches  long;  there  is  a  small  piece  of  bone 
riveted  to  the  back,  apparent!}'  to  allow  the  hand  a  better 
grasp.  The  blade  is  3  inches  long  and  8  inches  wide;  it  is 
curved  upwards  slightly  in  .ts  terminal  third.  Another,  No. 
10,930,  has  a  shorter,  broader  haft  of  a  single  piece;  the  blade 
has  a  uniform  curve  throughout,  which  is  continuous  with  the 
curved  end  of  the  haft.  The  "woman's  knife"  is  made  by  the 
natives  from  saw  blades;  the  pattern,  which  is  that  of  a  minc- 
ing knife,  and  the  manner  of  using  remain  the  same  as  when 
made  of  stone;  the  women  use  them  in  cutting  cloth,  leather, 
or  meat, — in  fact  for  ever)'  purpose  for  which  a  knife  may  be 
employed;  the  cut  is  made  by  pushing.  No.  ii,oio was  obtained 
from  Richards  Island.  It  is  of  dark  slate,  4.4  inches  in  greatest 
length  and  2  inches  at  the  back.  It  is  2.9  inches  wide  and  .25 
inch  thick.  The  edge  is  beveled  upon  both  sides,  and  worn 
blunt  and  smooth.     It  is  without  a  handle. 

Snow-knife.  A  large  sabre-shaped  snow-knife.  No.  10,964, 
was  obtained  from  Cape  Bathurst.  It  is  of  coc^rse,  heavy  bone, 
flat  upon  one  side,  slightly  and  uniformly  rounded  upon  the 
other,  and  equally  dull  upon  the  edges;  a  part  of  the  point  has 
been  broken  away;  the  handle  is  transversely  notched,  and  the 
end  enlarged  to  afford  a  better  grasp;  there  is  a  hole  at  the  end 
for  the  passage  of  a  thong. 

Bow  Drill  The  collection  contains  but  one  drill.  No.  10,943, 
from  Herschel  Island.  The  steel  point  is  1.4  inches  long,  .25 
inch  in  diameter;  the  shaft  is  of  birch,  10.7  inches  long,  tapering 
to  a  rounded  end  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter;  the  winged 
mouthpiece  is  of  spruce,  3.6  inches  long  by  2  broad  and  i.i  thick. 
The  socket  is  made  of  a  triangular  piece  of  limestone. 


d 


ESKIMO   ETHNOLOGICAL    MATERIAL 


195 


Fishhooks.  A  combined  fishhook,  sinker,  and  bait,  No.  11,009, 
was  obtained  from  the  Anderson  River  Eskimos.  It  is  of  wal- 
rus ivory,  4  inches  long  by  .7  inch  broad,  ai  d  rese  ^bles  a  small 
fish  in  shape;  the  hook  is  a  sharpened  nail  without  a  barb.  It 
is  weighted  with  five  plugs  on  the  side  and  a  forked  bar  of 
lead  upon  the  back;  two  small  blue  beads  serve  as  eyes.  They 
now  obtain  fishhooks  from  the  whalers  which  they  use  in  both 
coast  and  river  fishing. 

Net  Sinkers.  The  net  sinkers  used  at  Herschel  Island  were 
of  heavy  bone,  instead  of  stone,  which  is  commonly  used  by 
all  Northern  Indians.  The  collection  contains  one  set,  No. 
10,961,  which  was  made  from  cylindrical  bone,  1.8  inches  in 
diameter,  sawed  in  sections,  6.5  inches  long  and  again  in  half 
longitudinal!)-;  there  is  a  groove  sawed  upon  the  convex  side 
25  of  an  inch  from  each  end;  they  are  attached  to  the  net  by 
twine  passed  through  a  small  hole  drilled  in  each  end;  another 
form.  No.  10,963,  is  cylindrical,  4.3  inches  long,  with  a  large 
hole  through  the  outer  rim  at  each  end. 

Net  Floats.  These  are  frequently  made  of  cottonwood  bark. 
Specimen  No.  10,960  will  serve  as  a  type;  it  is  in  the  form  of  a 
'-"w  pyramid  with  rounded  corners;  it  is  4.3  inches  long  b}'  3.2 
wide;  a  loop  of  whalebone  is  fixed  at  each  end  to  two  holes 
drilled  half  an  inch  apart. 

Netting  Needles.  These  are  made  of  ivory  or  caribou  antler. 
A  specimen  from  Herschel  Island,  No.  10,951,  is  of  a  poor 
quality  of  walrus  ivory;  it  is  8  inches  long,  i  inch  wide  at  the 
base  of  the  prong,  and  slightly  narrower  in  the  handle,  which 
is  3.4  inches  long. 

Lamps.  The  soapstone  lamp  of  native  manufacture  is  being 
replaced  by  imported  oil  stoves  in  which  kerosene  is  burned 
instead  of  whale  oil.  A  few  are  still  in  use  at  Herschel  Island, 
where  I  measured  a  house  lamp  that  was  18  inches  long.  The 
collection  contains  one  traveling  lamp,  No.  10,928,  of  steatite 
from  the  same  locality.  It  is  5.3  inches  long  by  3.2  wide,  and  is 
excavated  to  a  depth  of  .5  of  an  inch;  the  wall  of  the  more 
convex  side  is  nearly  vertical  and  ornamented  with  an  incised 
line;  the  opposite  side,  which  bears  the  wick  of  moss,  slopes 
inward  more  gradually. 

Hammer.  The  collection  contains  but  one.  No.  10,841,  which 
was  obtained  from  the  Anderson  River  Eskimos.     The  handle 


ll 


196 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


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is  of  willow,  5.7  inches  long;  it  passes  a.ound  the  head  in  a 
groove  made  to  receive  it  and,  doubling  back  upon  itself,  is 
rirmly  boun  1  with  babiche;  the  head  is  of  a  dark,  coarse-grained 
trap  rock  and  weighs  16^  ounces. 

Harness  Swivels.  These  are  used  to  prevent  the  traces  from 
becoming  tv»'isted.  The  collection  contains  two  specimens 
from  the  Diomedes.  They  are  of  walrus  ivory,  with  heavy 
loops  of  seal  thong  at  each  end;  the  link  of  one.  No.  11,004,  is 
carved  to  represent  a  seal,  with  inlaid  eyes  of  whalebone.  It 
is  2.8  inches  long  and  1.2  inches  in  its  greatest  diameter.  The 
pin  is  carved  as  a  seal  head  and  works  freely  in  the  larger  end 
of  the  link,  through  which  it  is  prevented  from  passing  by  a 
narrow  shoulder.  It  is  1.5  inches  long  by  .4  of  an  inch  in 
diameter. 

The  other  specimen.  No.  11,005,  has  a  heavy  barb  of  ivory 
instead  of  a  link.  A  short  loop  is  fastened  to  holes  in  the  end 
of  this  and  the  pin  turns  upon  the  center.  Both  pieces  are 
carved  to  represent  seal  heads. 

Walrus  Ivory.  A  few  pounds  of  walrus  tusks  are  yet  obtained 
annually  from  the  natives  of  Behring  Sea  and  Strait.  They 
are  brought  on  board  the  vessels  tied  in  pairs  by  a  sinew  cord 
passed  through  holes  drilled  in  the  point.  An  unusually  large 
pair  was  obtained  from  the  Diomede  Islands.  They  are  33.5 
inches  long,  and  3,75  inches  in  diameter  at  the  point  of  inser- 
tion, whence  they  t;iper  slightly  towards  the  base  and  gradually 
to  the  blunt  tips.     They  weigh  24  pounds. 

Drawings.  The  Eskimos  exhibit  no  mean  degree  of  skill  in 
drawing,  carving,  or  engraving  upon  ivory.  Captain  Beechey, 
as  early  as  1826,  says  of  vhe  natives  of  Kotzebue  Sound:  "On 
the  outside  of  these  instiuments  there  were  etched  a  variety  of 
men,  beasts,  and  birds,  and  so  forth,  with  a  truth  and  character 
which  showed  the  art  to  be  common  among  them."  At  both 
East  Cape  and  Cape  Tchaplin  specimens  of  engraving  were 
offered  to  us  for  barter.  The  designs  were  darkened  with 
soot  or  gunpowder,  and  sometimes  dyed  red  or  green.  The 
collection  contains  a  slab  of  ivory.  No.  ii,022,  17  inches 
long,  with  II  figures  o."  men,  women,  and  seals  engraved  upon 
it.  A  companion  piece,  No.  11,023,  has  in  the  center  a  draw- 
ing of  a  building  which  has  evidently  been  copied  from  a 
tea  chest.     There  aie  two  thin  ivory  plates,  Nos.  11,024  and 


V'    ' 


li^ 


ESKIMO    ETHNOLOGICAL   MATERIAL 


197 


11,025,  which  are  7.2  inches  long  by  .8  inch  wide,  covered  with 
small  figures  upon  a  convex  surface  and  deeply  hollowed  upon 
the  opposite  side,  where  a  number  of  incised  lines  suggest  that 
they  have  been  intended  for  hunting  scores. 

Fire  Ba^fS.  These  are  not  so  important  a  part 'of  the  parapher- 
nalia of  the  Eskimo  as  of  the  Indian  .^r  m^tis.  The  only  one 
in  the  collection,  No.  10,892,  was  obtained  at  Herschel  Island. 
It  is  of  caribouskin,  dressed  with  the  hair  on,  with  a  sealskin 
top  and  a  sinew  drawing-string.  It  contains  three  small  pieces 
of  flint,  a  small  pouch  of  soft  leather,  containing  willow  catkins 
for  tinder,  and  a  slender  link  of  steel  made  from  an  old  file. 

Ladles.  Ladles  of  various  sizes  are  made  of  bone,  wood,  and 
horn.  The  collection  contains  one.  No.  10,908,  from  Herschel 
Island,  of  the  horn  of  a  mountain  sheep.  It  is  2  feet  in  length 
and  6  inches  across  the  bowl.  A  short  crack  in  the  rim  has 
been  closed  with  an  iron  rivet. 

Needle  Cases.  One  of  these.  No.  11,016,  from  the  Diomedes, 
is  of  walrus  ivory,  2.8  inches  long  and  .7  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
It  is  polished  and  stained  with  use.  The  cylinder  is  ornamented 
with  6  encircling  lines.  The  strap  is  8  inches  long  and  has  a 
metal  trousers  button  at  one  end  to  keep  it  from  slipping 
through.  The  other  end  forms  a  loop  for  attachment  at  the 
girth. 

OmiakS.  The  Eskimos  are  obtaining  whaleboats  from  the 
vessels  at  all  the  settlements  on  the  Arctic  coast  as  far  east- 
ward as  Cape  Bathurst.so  that  the  large  skin  boats,  or  omiaks, 
are  now  seldom  used  in  whaling.  Nearly  every  family  at  Her- 
schel Island  which  did  not  have  a  whaleboat  owned  an  omiak. 
The  frame  is  made  of  spruce  driftwood,  of  which  there  is  an 
abundance  along  that  coast.  The  boats,  or  canoes,  as  the 
whalemen  call  them,  are  light  and  easily  beached.  The  cov- 
ering is  of  walrus,  seal,  or  even  bearskin,  sewed  in  a  double 
seam  with  a  blind  stitch.  I  saw  only  a  few  of  them  in  use,  but 
all  required  occasional  bailing.  I  noticed  both  men  and 
women  in  them  on  several  occasions;  the  women  pulling  inde- 
pendently of  each  other  at  the  short  and  narrow  oars,  and  the 
men  paddling  and  pushing  aside  ice  floes. 

The  collection  contains  an  omiak  model.  No,  10,999,  from 
Point  Barrow.  It  is  33.5  inches  long,  with  a  depth  of  4  inches, 
and  a  9  inch  beam;  being  proportionately  too  broad,  as  an 


1 98 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


omiak  30  feet  long  does  not  exceed  6  feet  in  ihe  beam.  It  is 
covered  with  a  single  piece  of  light  yellowish  sealskin  stretched 
on  without  any  seam.  It  is  sewed  to  the  gunwale,  the  ends  of 
which  pass  through  holes  in  its  edge  near  the  bow  and  stern, 
and  are  lashed  with  seal  thong  over  the  gunwale  to  the  inside 
streak  along  the  sides.  The  keel  is  broader  than  deep,  and 
fastened  with  a  scarf  joint  and  tree  nails  to  the  stem  and  stt-rn- 
posts.  The  stem  is  bent  upward  in  the  knee,  having  a  greater 
rake  than  the  stern.  Both  are  broad  and  flat  on  the  inside  and 
taper  to  a  sharp  edge,  continuous  with  the  keel.  A  short  board 
is  lashed  to  the  top  of  each,  that  in  the  stern  affording  a  seat 
for  the  steersman.  The  bilge-streak  is  deep  and  narrow  and 
lashed  in  an  offset  in  the  stern.  The  side  streaks  are  inside 
the  ribs,  and  are  6  in  number,  and  are  lashed  to  the  bilge  streak 
and  gunwales,  against  which  they  rest  with  notched  ends.  The 
gunwales  are  round,  and  project  at  the  bow  until  they  meet, 
but  without  fastening.  At  the  stern  they  project  an  equal 
distance,  and  are  separated  by  a  space  ot  I  inch.  There  are 
5  narrow  floor  timbers,  and  3  thwarts. 

Scrapers.  I  obtained  two  skin  scrapers,  which  had  been  made 
at  the  Diomedes.  No.  11,027  is  a  fair  specimtii  of  the  type 
most  commonly  used.  The  handle  is  of  fossil  ivory,  4  inches 
long,  2.2  inches  wide,  and  strongly  arched.  The  upper  surface 
has  two  long  and  shallow  grooves  for  the  fore  and  middle 
fingers.  The  left  side  is  deeply  hollowed  to  receive  the  thumb. 
The  right  side  is  deeply  excavated  for  the  third  and  fourth 
fingers,  which  are  separated  by  a  projecting  ridge.  The  butt 
is  slightly  flattened.  It  must  have  been  recently  made,  for  it 
is  nearly  white,  though  smoothly  polished.  I  have  seen  several 
that  were  stained  a  dark  brown  with  age  and  oil.  This  handle 
contains  several  cracks  which  are  bound  with  whalebone,  and 
prevented  from  extending  farther  by  holes  drilled  at  their  ends. 
The  blade  is  of  flint,  .5  of  an  inch  long,  I  inch  wide,  tightly 
wedged  into  a  groove  1.6  inches  wide. 

The  other  specimen,  No.  11,026,  is  a  wooden  handle  without 
a  blade.  It  is  smaller  and  more  roughly  made  than  No.  11,027. 
There  are  two  circular  depressions  for  the  fore  and  middle 
fingers;  the  third  and  fourth  are  not  separated.  A  deep  verti- 
cal furrow  crosses  the  hollow  from  the  left  side,  perhaps  in- 
tended to  prevent  the  thumb  from  slipping. 


,   .  i 


ESKIMO    ETHNOLOGICAL    MATERIAL 


199 


Another  mode!  th.it  I  noticed  had  a  curved  projection  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  forefin>,'er  which  prevented  the  hanil  from 
slipping  forward. 

Mode  of  Burial.  Soon  after  my  arrival  at  Merschel  Island,  the 
death  of  an  old  woman  gave  me  an  opportunit)-  to  see  how  an 
Eskimo  funeral  was  conducted.  The  preliminary  ceremonies 
were  concluded  before  I  heard  of  it,  but  1  was  an  interested 
spectator  at  the  tomb.  The  corpse  was  wrapped  in  two  woolen 
blankets,  a  robe  of  heavy  winter  caribouskin,  and  a  robe  of 
light  summer  skin;  the  clothing  of  the  deceased,  consisting  of 
calico  and  Siberian  reindeerskin  frocks,  was  laid  over  the  body, 
and  the  whole  was  enclosed  with  several  jards  of  gray  flannel, 
securel}'  lashed  with  seal  thong.  Two  heavy  logs,  6  to  8  feet 
long,  were  placed  transversely  at  the  bead  and  foot  of  the 
corpse,  which  was  laid  upon  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Smaller 
logs  were  laid  across  these,  parallel  with  and  entirely  covering 
the  body.  Short,  heavy  pieces  were  inclined  against  the  sides 
and  placed  across  the  top,  making  the  whole  about  3  feet  high. 
A  medium  sized  kumotik,  in  good  condition,  was  left  beside 
the  tomb.  Knives,  needles,  and  other  personal  property  were 
placed  with  the  body,  showing  that  six  years  of  contact  with 
the  whites  had  not  affected  their  burial  customs. 

Crania. 

While  at  Grand  Rapids,  I  obtained  three  crania  and  the 
greater  part  of  three  skeletons  belonging  to  the  race  which 
occupied  the  Winnipeg  region  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Crees; 
also  two  skeletons  of  Wood  Crees.  At  McLeod  I  collected  the 
cranium  of  a  Piegan.  I  secured  two  Dog  Rib  skeiLions  at  Rae; 
and  at  various  points  between  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie 
Ri\  er  and  Herschel  Island,  I  collected  nine  crania  of  Western 
Eskimos. 

A  few  of  the  most  important  cranial  measurements  are  pre- 
sented here;  the  small  number  prevents  a  detailed  account 
being  given.  The  cranial  capacity  was  obtained  with  a  set  of 
Broca's  gauging  instruments  and  No.  8  shot. 


200 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE    FAR   NORTH 


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CHAPTER  XII 

MYTHS  OF  THE  WOOD  CREES 

THE  Grand  Rapids  natives  seemed  quite  willing  to  aid  me 
in  recording  their  myths,  yet  the  number  of  Ihese  tales 
was  much  less  than  I  had  expected.  "Old  Joe  '*  was  always 
pleased  when  he  found  "a  new  story"  among  h's  "band"  for 
me,  after  the  more  common  myths  had  been  written,  and,  as  he 
was  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the  tribe,  I  think  that 
most  of  the  myths  known  to  them  were  told  to  me.  Not  all 
of  the  mass  of  exceedingly  vulgar  material  which  wa^  offered 
has  been  rewritten  for  publication.  To  the  credit  of  the  nar- 
rators be  it  said  that  the)'  apologized  for  the  coarseness  of 
many  of  the  tales,  saying,  "It  is  not  fit  to  tell  a  bourgeois  (the 
term  applied  to  oflRcers  of  the  company  and  travelers  passing 
through  the  country,  all  other  whites  being  known  as 'servants' 
or  voy<7gciirs)  but  then  I  did  not  make  the  storj-  you  know." 

The  myths  are  written  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  words  of 
the  interpreters.  I  did  not  acquire  a  suflficient  acquaintance 
with  the  language  to  consider  it  advisable  to  attempt  to  write 
the  Cree  text. 

Wisagatchak  is  the  central  figure  in  their  mythology  ;  the 
tales  relating  his  marvelous  adventures  "would  take  a  summer 
and  a  winter  in  the  telling." 

Petitot  gives  a  brief  account  of  the  Wisagatchak  creation 
myth,''  and  then  states'*  that  the  history  of  Wisagatchak  con- 
tinues and  blends  with  that  of  Efwa-ehe  of  the  Hares,  He 
caused  the  animals  to  suffer,  the  buffaloes  to  die  through  loss 
of  breath,  he  flattened  the  face  of  the  lynx,  produced  touch- 
wood by  burning  his  own  flesh,  and,  finalh-,  he  assembled  all 

*  See  p.  3,  ttttle. 

■  Truditioiis  Indi^nnes  dit  Canada  Nord-Oucst,  p.  472. 

•  Ibid,  p.  474. 

201 


^  Mil 


202 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


I 


>i 


the  animals  in  a  great  medicine  lodge  which  he  shook  and 
pulled  down,  and  in  its  downfall  all  animals  perished.  "Wis- 
saketchok  is  then,  at  once  the  Noah  and  the  Sampson  of  the 
Crees." 

The  story  of  the  deluge  which  here  appears  is  quite  different 
in  its  details  from  that  given  b)'  Petitot,  and  of  the  other  tales 
which  he  mentions,  only  one,  that  accounting  for  the  origin  of 
touchwood,  was  related  to  me. 

The  Beginning  of  Wisagatchak's  Wanderings. 

Wisagatchak's  father  was  very  found  of  roast  beaver.  Every 
day  he  hunted  his  favorite  game  and  every  evening,  when  he 
returned,  his  wife  had  no  wood  for  the  fire.  As  it  is  one  of  the 
first  duties  of  a  good  wife  to  procure  firewood,  he  became 
suspicious  of  her  conduct  and  asked  his  two  little  sons,  "Where 
does  your  mother  go  every  day?"  "She  takes  her  robe  and 
goes  off  that  way,"  said  they,  indicating  her  course. 

The  next  day  he  killed  a  beaver,  as  usual,  but  left  it  where  it 
lay.  In  the  morning  he  told  the  old  wife  to  go  after  the  game, 
and  as  soon  as  she  left  the  camp  he  hastened  away  in  the 
direction  in  wh:"^h  she  was  accustomed  to  go  in  his  absence. 
He  followed  her  track  until  he  came  to  a  hollow  stump  which 
was  full  of  snakes.  The  reptiles  hearing  his  footsteps,  and 
thinking  that  they  were  made  by  the  old  wife,  came  rushing 
out  to  meet  him  with  a  more  than  cordial  greeting.  Angered 
by  the  perfidj'  of  his  spouse,  he  killed  the  snakes  and  took  a 
quantity  of  their  blood  back  to  the  camp  with  which  he  made  a 
rich  soup.  The  woman,  upon  returning  with  the  beaver,  sud- 
denly became  very  industrious  and  volunteered  to  go  after  fire- 
wood. 

"Eat,  before  you  go,"  said  he,  placing  the  soup  before  her 
She  ate  it  greedily  and  pronounced  it  very  good. 

"  That  is  the  blood  of  your  snake  lovers." 

"  If  you  have  killed  them,  I  will  kill  you,"  she  cried,  running 
off  in  a  rage.  Calling  his  bojs  to  him,  the  father  gave  them  a 
flint,  an  awl,  and  a  beaver's  tooth,  saying,  "  Be  off,  I  am  going 
to  kill  your  mother." 

When  she  returned,  they  began  a  desperate  fight.  After  a 
long  contest  he  succeeded  in  cutting  uff  her  head  which  went 
rolling  swiftly  away.   The  headless  body  continued  the  struggle 


i 


MYTHS  OF  THE  WOOD  CREES 


203 


and  the  pair  began  to  ascend  into  the  heavens,  where,  still  fight- 
ing, they  became  lost  to  view  forever. 

The  head  fell  upon  the  trail  of  Wisagatchak  and  his  broth  r 
and  started  in  pursuit  of  them.  The  boys  saw  it  coming  and 
knew  that  it  meant  to  kill  them.  Throwing  down  their  awl, 
they  wished  that  it  might  become  a  mountain  covered  with 
awls,  their  bristling  points  upraised  to  stop  the  pursuit  of  that' 
terrible  head.  Their  wish  was,  of  course,  granted,  but  the  head» 
only  retarded  in  its  progress  for  a  short  time,  came  bounding 
after  them  again.  Throwing  down  their  flint,  they  wished  that 
it  might  become  a  mountain  strewn  with  sharp  and  rugged 
rocks.  Even  this  proved  unavailing.  Only  the  beaver's  tooth 
remained,  and  this  was  cast  down  with  the  wish  that  it  might 
become  a  broad  river.  On  coming  to  the  stream,  the  head 
rolled  into  it  only  to  bound  back  upon  the  bank  unable  to 
cross.  The  head  called  to  a  pelican  to  come  and  carry  it 
across.  This  the  bird  tried  to  do,  but  on  being  addressed  with 
offensive  language  threw  off  its  burden  in  midstream.  The 
head  was  instantly  transformed  into  a  sturgeon  in  the  magic 
river.  Breaching  high  above  the  surface  the  fish  cried,  "As 
long  as  the  earth  shall  stand  I  shall  be  called  ncmao!  " 


i 


How  HIS  Brother  was  Transformed  into  a  Wolf. 

Wisagatchak  was  older  than  his  brother,  and  naturally  took 
the  lead  in  their  subsequent  adventures.  As  they  were  pla}  ing 
by  the  river,  the  younger  boy  began  crying.  To  divert  his 
attention,  Wisagatchak  gave  him  a  string  of  bears'  claws.  Just 
then  an  old  man,  named  Waimesosoo,  came  down  the  stream  in 
a  canoe.  He  made  no  stroke  in  the  water  with  his  paddle,  but 
simply  struck  the  top  of  the  canoe  which  shot  swiftly  through 
the  water.  Seeing  the  children  he  stopped  close  beside  them, 
and  on  catching  sight  of  the  bears'  claws,  he  transferred  them 
to  the  canoe  by  a  mere  effort  of  his  will.  Wisagatchak  pro- 
tested against  this  robbery,  saying,  "You  will  make  my  little 
brother  cry  again."  "Come  and  get  them  then,"  said  old  Wai- 
mesosoo, putting  out  his  paddle  for  the  boy  to  step  upon.  As 
soon  as  his  foot  touched  it,  Wisagatchak  was  thrown  into  the 
canoe  which  sped  rapidly  away.  Seeing  himelf  thus  deserted, 
the  little  fellow  on  the  bank  dolefully  cried,  "  Nes-te-se  na-cu-ta 
hoo-yi-na  Ss-i-gum  nS-me-ni-cu-ni-win  " — If  you  leave  me  I  will 


Mi 


u 


1. 


!         ' 


204  EXPLORATIONS   IN  THE   FAR   NORTH 

turn  into  a  wolf.  Such  indeed,  was  the  fate  of  Wisagatchak's 
brother;  slowl)',  one  side  at  a  time,  he  became  transformed  into 
a  wolf. 

How  HE  Found  a  Wife. 

Waimesosoo  carried  Wisagatchak  far  away,  but  the  canoe 
touched  the  shore  at  last  and  was  hauled  up  and  overturned 
with  the  boy  under  it.  The  old  man  went  up  to  his  lodge,  and 
told  the  elder  of  his  two  daughters  that  he  had  brought  home 
a  husband  for  her.  The  girl  went  to  see  Wisagatchak,  but  said, 
"  Oh,  that  is  only  a  boy,  and  he  is  too  ugly,  anyway." 

The  younger  sister  was  better  pleased  with  him  and  brought 
him  new  clothing,  which  transformed  him  into  a  strong  and 
handsome  j'oung  man. 

"  We  will  both  have  him,"  said  the  elder  daughter. 

"Oh,  no!  you  had  the  first  chance  and  you  did  not  take  him." 

It  seemed  that  old  Waimesosoo  had  a  habit  of  kidnapping 
young  men,  only  lo  exercise  his  ingenuity  in  killing  them. 
Wisagatchak  was  put  upon  his  guard  by  his  rew-found  wife. 
One  day  the  two  men  went  to  gather  eggs  among  the  islands. 
Waimesosoo  kept  urging  his  son-in-law  to  go  farther  out. 

"The  eggs  are  better  beyond.  You  will  find  some  nice  yel- 
low ones  on  the  little  island,  away  there,"  said  he.  As  soon  as 
they  reached  the  island  the  old  man  upset  Wisagatchak's  canoe 
and  deserted  him.  Wisagatchak  killed  a  gull  and  exchanged  its 
body  for  his  own.  He  reached  home  before  Waimesosoo,  who 
found  his  little  grandson  eating  a  gull's  egg  outside  the  lodge. 

"Where  did  you  get  that?" 

"  My  father  brought  it." 

"Oh,  no.  I  offered  him  as  a  sacrifice,"  said  the  old  man,  but 
a  moment  later  he  was  greeted  by  the  smiling  manito  in  his 
proper  person. 

Not  long  afterward  they  made  a  journey  to  a  distant  island 
to  procure  some  arrow  wood  for  the  son  of  Wisagatchak. 
Again  Waimesosoo  deserted  his  son-in-law,  who  escaped  as  he 
had  done  before.  Upon  his  return  Waimesosoo  found  his 
grandson  shooting  with  his  new  arrows. 

"Where  did  you  get  those  arrows?" 

"My  father  brought  them." 

And  the  old  man  knew  that  he  was  again  foiled. 


MYTHS  OF  THE  WOOD  CREES 


205 


II' 


A  third  time  they  set  out  together,  intending  to  procure  some 
quills  for  the  arrows  obtained  upon  the  preceding  trip.  They 
came  at  last  to  an  island  upon  which  lived  an  enormous  eagle. 

"I  will  give  this  man  to  you  to  eat"  said  Waimesosoo,  destrt- 
ing  him  as  before. 

"  Oh,  I  know  you  from  long  ago,  we  are  old  friends,"  said 
Wisagatchak,  and  he  flattered  the  eagle  until  he  was  allowed 
to  escape  in  the  form  of  a  gull.  On  reaching  home  Waimeso- 
soo boasted  to  his  grandson. 

"You  will  not  see  your  father  any  more,  for  I  have  given 
him  to  the  great  eagle." 

"See  the  quills  he  has  just  brought  me,"  replied  the  boy. 

On  the  following  day  Waimesosoo  said, "  Let  us  go  and  have 
a  swing."  The  swing  was  upon  the  verge  of  a  precipice  and 
had  frequently  been  used  by  the  old  man  to  destroy  his  victims. 
Wisagatchak  'new  that  he  would  be  hurled  out  of  the  swing  by 
a  jerk  of  the  rope,  and  just  as  the  act  of  treachery  was  performed 
he  transformed  himself  into  a  crane,  so  that  instead  of  falling 
headlong  upon  the  rocks  below  he  flew  gently  down  in  safety. 

"Now,  it  is  your  turn."  said  Wisagatchak,  and  he  swung  the 
old  man  long  and  high,  finally  tripping  him  at  the  right  moment. 
Waimesosoo  assumed  the  form  of  a  whiskey  jack  to  escape  be- 
ing dashed  to  pieces,  Wisagatchak  blew  so  hard  upon  the 
little  bird  th  :t  it  was  killed  by  the  violence  of  the  gale  and  the 
long  contest  was  ended. 

Wisagatchak  returned  to  his  home  alone,  but  not  to  stay,  as  he 
was  destined  thenceforth  to  be  a  wanderer  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth.  He  met  with  many  strange  adventures,  and  could  talk 
with  all  the  animals,and  trees,  and  stones;  all  spoke  the  language 
of  the  Wood  Crees.  It  seems  probable  that  the  point  of  this 
myth  has  been  forgotten,  and  the  one  which  accounted  for  the 
origin  of  the  sturgeon  has  been  lost  by  interpretation  into  Eng- 
lish; the  mischievous  whiskey  jack  {Pcrisoreus  Canadensis)  ought 
to  have  originated  in  this  way  instead  of  being  destroyed. 

The  Creation  of  the  World. 

Nearly  every  people  has  its  own  legend  to  account  for  the 
creation  of  the  world,  and  among  the  Wood  Crees  this  is  not 
wanting.  It  is  a  combination  of  a  creation  mjth  and  the  equally 
universal  tradition  of  a  flood. 


2o6 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


-•-ii 
-^1 


One  day  Wisagatchak's  brother  "  was  going  along,"  in  the 
form  of  a  wolf,  and  was  feeling  very  hungry.  Coming  upon 
the  trail  of  i  moo;-e,  he  followed  it  until  he  came  to  the  shores 
of  a  great  lake.  He  had  been  warned  by  Wisagatchak  not  to 
venture  into  the  water,  for  in  it  lived  the  long-tailed  misipisi- 
wuk  (lynxes)  which  would  kill  him;  but  hunger  overcame  his 
prudence  and  he  followed  the  moose  track  into  the  lake,  with 
fatal  result. 

When  the  wolf  did  not  rciurn,  Wisagatchak  traced  him  to 
the  lakeside,  where  hf  found  a  kingfisher,  which  was  sitting 
upon  a  dead  branch,  looking  out  upon  the  lake  and  mournfully 
crying. 

"  What  is  the  matter?  "  asked  the  manito. 

'•  My  spear  is  too  small,"  was  the  reply.  Wisagatchak  made 
the  bill  of  the  bird  long  and  sharp,  as  it  remains  to  this  day, 
saying,  "now  try  it."  The  first  dive  resulted  in  a  fish  being 
impaled  upon  the  perfected  spear. 

"  What  were  }'ou  looking  at  when  I  came  along? "  asked 
Wisagatchak. 

"  !  was  looking  at  a  wolf's  tail  which  the  misipisiwuk  were 
playing  with." 

"What  do  they  do  in  the  middle  of  the  day?" 

"They  come  ashore  on  that  sandy  beach  to  sleep." 

The  manito  then  provided  himself  with  a  spear  and  went  to  the 
sands,  where  he  transformed  himself  into  a  pine  stump  to  await 
the  coming  of  the  lynxes.  Some  of  the  wisest  of  these  were 
alarmed  when  they  arrived,  declaring  that  the  stump  had  not 
been  there  before,  but  the  others  were  as  positive  that  it  had. 
Two  of  the  strongest  misipisiwuk  tried  to  dislodge  it  by  locking 
their  tails  together  and  pulling,  but  as  V/isagatchak  retained 
his  hold  they  decided  that  it  was  certainly  a  stump  and  pro- 
ceeded to  frolic  about  on  the  shore.  When  all  were  tired  and 
had  lain  down  to  sleep,  Wisagatchak  resumed  the  form  of  a 
man,  caught  up  his  spear  and  killed  them  one  by  one,  leaving 
his  spear  sticking  in  the  last,  which  still  lived. 

This  resulted  in  the  waters  rising  until  the  earth  was  flooded. 
Wisagatchak  built  a  raft  and  placed  a  bit  of  earth  in  a  tree. 
The  water  rose  so  rapidly  that  he  forgot  this  in  his  haste,  when 
he  embarked  upon  the  raft.  While  floating,  he  heard  some- 
thing gnawing  at  the  logs  beneath. 


!?,*I%S»*W'V!1W' 


MYTHS   OF  THE   WOOD   CREES 


207 


I 


"Who  is  eating  the  logs  of  my  raft?"  he  cried,  and  a  big 
beaver  thrusting  his  head  above  the  surface,  answered  in  person. 

"What  were  you  doing  there?" 

But  the  beaver  only  laughed  in  reply,  exposing  his  teeth. 
Wisagatchak,  angered,  knocked  some  of  his  teeth  out  with  a 
sudden  blow,  hence  the  gap  which  exists  between  the  incisors 
and  molars  of  the  beaver. 

Suddenly  the  raft  began  to  sink  and  the  manito  saw  that  the 
misipisiwuk  were  dragging  it  down. 

"You  can't  sink  the  raft  that  way,  just  put  your  tails  on  the 
side  and  overturn  it,"  which  the  unsuspecting  lynxes  tried  to 
do;  but  no  sooner  did  their  tails  appear  on  the  side  than  the 
manito  cut  them  off,  and  the  wildcat  tribe  is  tailless  to  this  day. 

Wisagatchak  was  not  alone  upon  the  raft,  but  was  accom- 
panied by  his  brother,  the  wolf,  who  had  been  restored  in  some 
miraculous  manner,  and  by  all  kinds  of  animals.  He  was  now 
anxious  to  recreate  the  earth;  he  therefore  ordered  the  muskrat 
to  dive  down  and  bring  him  a  little  mud  from  the  submerged 
land.  The  rat  obeyed  his  master,  but  was  unable  to  reach  the 
bottom,  and  drowned  before  he  could  rise  to  the  surface  again. 
Wisagatchak  thereupon  restored  him  to  life,  and  promising  to 
resuscitate  him  yet  again,  should  he  die,  ordered  him  to  try 
once  more.  This  time  the  rat  was  more  successful,  for  he 
caught  a  little  mud  in  his  mouth  and  one  paw,  but  came  back 
lifeless.  Restoring  the  rat  to  life  a  second  time,  this  master  of 
all  the  living  creatures  laid  the  mud  in  the  sun  to  dry,  and  then 
blew  upon  it  until  it  begun  to  grow  larger  and  larger.  At  last 
he  sent  his  brother  out  to  see  if  the  world  was  big  enough.  The 
wolf  did  not  return  for  a  long  time  but  Wisagatchak  was  not 
satisfied  and  again  blew  upon  the  earth  inc  easing  its  size.  The 
wolf  was  again  sent  out  but  never  returned,  whereupon  the 
manito  decided  that  the  world  was  large  enough  and  the  occu- 
pants of  the  raft  were  landed. 

Wisagatchak  as  a  Doctor. 

One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  discovered  a 
strange  track.  After  following  it  a  short  distance  he  heard  the 
sound  of  a  conjurer's  rattle  and  soon  saw  an  enormous  frog 
who  informed  him  that  he  was  a  doctor. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the  manito. 


]l 


208 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE  FAR   NORTH 


it. ,  > 


m 


"To  visit  the  wounded  misipisiwuk  that  Wisagatchak 
speared." 

"  How  do  you  treat  them?  " 

"  I  blow  this  way,"  said  he,  inflating  himself  vigorously, "  then 
I  use  my  rattle." 

Wisagatchak  killed  the  frog  and  put  on  its  skin.  He  then 
set  out  for  the  lodge  of  the  misipisiwuk  who  admitted  him  with- 
out question,  as  the  frog  had  been  treating  their  wounded  com- 
rade for  some  time. 

"  I  am  going  to  employ  a  new  remedy,"  said  he.  "  Put  out 
the  fire  and  darken  the  lodge."  This  order  was  obeyed  and 
then  takng  hold  of  the  spear,  which  had  been  nearly  removed, 
h  irust  it  deeper  than  ever,  remarking  that  it  was  very  warm 
in-iio  The  false  doctor  left  the  lodge.  The  misipisiwuk  be- 
f  omiiij,  suspicious  at  his  long  absence  went  out  and  found  the 
frog  ski!  .  nd  the  rattle  lying  beside  the  door,  and  on  lighting 
a  bit  of  birch  bark  they  discovered  that  the  patict  was  dead. 
Whereupon  an  old  wiseacre  remarked,  "It  is  always  dangerous 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  Wisagatchak."  ("When  you  sup 
with  the  devil,"  etc.) 


IV 

III 

,',1 


Why  Some  Trees  are  Twisted. 

One  da}',  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  across  a 
bear  lying  in  his  path. 

"  Get  up  you  lazy  beast,  you  sleep  too  much,"  he  said,  giving 
the  bear  a  kick,  but  finding  that  it  was  dead  he  thought  to 
himself,  "Now  I  will  have  a  feast."  So  he  built  a  huge  fire  and 
roasted  the  entire  animal.  "  I  cannot  eat  all  that,"  thought  he, 
"without  making  room  in  my  stomach."  So  he  placed  himself 
between  two  trees  and  told  them  to  squeeze  him.  The  trees 
complied  but  warned  him  that  they  would  not  let  him  go,  but 
they  relaxed  their  hold  and  he  began  to  eat,  soon  returning, 
however,  to  give  the  order,  "That  is  not  enough,  you  must 
squeeze  harder."  This  time  the  trees  were  true  to  their  word 
and  held  him  fast.  The  whiskey  jacks  came  to  feed  upon  the 
roasted  meat,  then  came  the  crows  and  all  kinds  of  carnivorous 
birds  and  mammals,  until  nothing  but  the  bones  remained  of 
the  delicious  repast.  Then  the  trees  released  him.  In  his 
anger,  Wisagatchak  caught  their  tops  and  twisted  them  so  far 


V 


s  ' 


FA*T7,'w;i:':n'^ 


MYTHS  OF  THE  WOOD  CREES 


209 


1^ 


that  they  remained  permanently  awry,  which  accounts  for  the 
occurrence  to  this  day  of  twisted  trees  which  will  not  split 
straight. 

How  Animals  Obtained  their  F'at. 

"  I  will  have  my  share  after  all! "  said  he,  as  he  gath*  d  the 
bones  together  that  he  might  boil  them  and  extract  th<;  ease. 
Putting  this  in  a  bladder,  he  went  down  to  a  little  rive  *o  cool 
it.  There  he  heard  somebod)'  cr)ing,  which  he  soon  found  to 
be  a  muskrat.  "What  are  )ou  crying  for,  my  little  brother?" 
asked  the  nianito. 

"My  tail  is  too  big,"  was  the  reply,  and  it  was  indeed  true; 
the  little  animal  was  unable  to  manage  the  broad,  beaver-like 
caudal  appendage  which  clogged  his  movements.  VVisagatchiik 
stripped  away  its  sides,  making  it  small  and  narrow. 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  want  it?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  delighted  ra  .  b(  nning  to  play  about  the 
water. 

"Take  this  grease  and  swi.i  ,,bout  with  it  to  cool  it,  but  go 
slowly,"  said  he,  as  he  tied  .ne  !\  adder  to  the  rat's  tail.  The 
muskrat  soon  began  to  swim  fat-tcr  and  faster  until  checked  by 
the  hungry  manito,  who  a  '.n  .  Autioned  him.  The  rat  went 
slower  but  gradually  swam  bejond  reach. 

"  Now,"  said  the  rat,  "  I  will  play  a  trick  on  Wisagatchak." 

So  he  dived  beneath  the  bladder,  and  gnawing  a  hole  in  it 
allowed  all  the  tat  to  escape. 

Wisagatchak,  unable  to  save  it,  called  all  the  animals  of  the 
forest  about  him.  Taking  the  rabbit  he  threw  it  into  the  stream 
but  withdrew  it  as  soon  as  a  little  fat  had  adhered  to  its  neck 
and  breast,  where  it  remains  to  this  day.  All  the  animals 
were  dipped  in  the  river;  the  bear,  being  allowed  to  remain 
longest,  secured  the  most  fat. 

Wisagatchak  and  the  Grizzly. 

One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  upon  an 
unusually  large  pine  tree.  He  noticed  the  excellence  of  the 
wood  and  decided  to  use  it  in  the  manufacture  of  a  full  set 
of  weapons.  He  fell  to  work  cutting  and  splitting  the  trunk 
into  billets  from  which  he  made  knives,  hatchets,  and  arrows. 
"Now,"  said  he,  "I  wish  that  I  could  meet  a  grizzly." 


•!'■     I 


'•M^i 


Wit 


■    I 


2IO 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


His  wish  was  soon  gratified,  for  he  came  upon  one  which  was 
digf^ing  roots  near  by.  Wisagatchak  fired  an  arrow,  but  it 
broke  against  the  bear's  tough  hide.  Another  and  another  shaft 
was  sent  until  his  quiver  was  empty,  and  he  took  to  flight  with 
the  grizzly  in  swift  pursuit.  As  he  ran,  Wisagatchak  turned 
and  hurled  one  of  his  hatchets  which  shivered  to  pieces  against 
the  head  of  Bruin,  as  were  the  others  in  quick  succession.  The 
bear  was  now  so  close  that  the  fleeing  manito  turned  and  struck 
at  him  with  a  knife,  but  it,  too,  failed  him.  After  breaking  all 
his  knives,  he  came  to  a  little  bush  around  which  the  chase 
continued.  There  was  a  moose  horn  beside  the  bush,  partly 
buried  in  the  earth.  Every  time  he  passed  this  he  gave  it  a 
kick,  until  it  became  loosened  so  that  he  snatchi.'d  it  up  and 
made  such  terrific  passes  and  bellowed  so  loudly  that  the 
grizzly  fled  in  terror.  What  effect  this  had  on  anything  "  to 
this  day"  is  not  divulged. 

Wisagatchak  and  the  Night  Hawk. 

One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  across  an 
enormous  granite  boulder. 

"Now,  let  us  have  a  race,"  said  he  to  the  rock. 

"  No,"  was  the  reply,  *'  I  am  fixed  here  forever." 

"Oh,  come  on,"  and  off  they  went,  down  a  long  incline,  the 
manito  in  front  with  the  boulder  following  close  behind  After 
a  long  chase  the  rock  overtook  him  and  leaped  upon  his  back 
pinning  him  to  the  earth.  After  vainly  trying  to  escape,  Wis- 
agatchak called  to  everything  which  passed  for  help.  His 
entreaties  were  in  vain,  until  a  night  hawk  flew  over  them. 

"  My  little  brother,  come  and  take  away  this  rock,"  he  cried. 
Down  swooped  the  night  hawk,  uttering  its  peculiar  and  char- 
acteristic booming  sound  as  it  struck  the  boulder  a  terrific 
blow  which  split  it  in  twain  and  released  the  prisoner. 

The  Thunderbolt. 

One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  upon  a 
large  granite  boulder. 

"  Let  us  have  a  race,"  said  he. 

"  No,  I  am  to  remain  here  as  long  as  the  world  stands,"  was 
the  reply,  but  he  prevailed  upon  the  rock  to  run  at  last,  and 
away  they  sped.  They  ran  until  the  boulder  overtook  the  manito. 


► 


MYTHS   OF  THE   WOOD   CREES 


211 


as  they  were  descending  a  hill,  and  leaped  upon  him  and  pinned 
him  to  the  earth. 

"Come,  my  brother,  let  me  go,"  he  entreated. 

**  No,  so  long  as  the  earth  remains  and  waters  run  you  must 
stay  here,"  said  the  rock.  Wisagatchak  then  fell  asleep;  he 
awakened  after  the  lapse  of  years  to  find  that  his  face  was 
overgrown  with  lichens  and  his  hair  was  full  of  moss.  Then 
he  called  to  the  thunder,  "  My  brother,  take  this  rock  from 
my  back." 

The  crushing  weight  was  immediately  broken  and  scattered 
over  all  the  land,  where  the  fragments  are  seen  to  this  day. 

Okaskewaysesuk. 

As  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  one  day,  he  came  upon  a 
pack  of  young  grouse. 

'*  What  is  your  name,"  said  he. 

"Okaskewaysesuk"  (I-startle-you),  they  said. 

"  You  cannot  startle  me,"  said  the  manito  as  he  continued 
upon  his  way.  The  old  grouse  returned  to  find  her  brood  sadly 
frightened.  Meditating  revenge  upon  Wisagatchak,  she  col- 
lected a  great  covey  of  her  friends  and  relatives  together  upon 
the  banks  of  a  small  river,  where  they  concealed  themselves  in 
the  path  of  the  advancing  manit  j.  When  he  reached  the  bank 
of  the  stream  Wisagatchak  concluded  that  he  could  jump  across 
it.  Moving  back  some  distance  to  gather  impetus  he  rushed 
down  the  bank  on'y  to  pause  at  the  brink  without  leaping.  A 
second  time  he  ran,  and  a  second  time  his  courage  failed  him. 
"I  will  jump  this  time,"  said  he,  and  the  listening  grouse  knew 
that  he  meant  to  make  the  attempt.  Just  as  he  was  springing 
into  the  air  the  grouse  started  up  in  a  body,  producing  such  a 
sudden  noise  and  confusion  that  Wisagatchak,  instead  of  clear- 
ing the  stream  fell  with  a  splash  in  the  middle  of  the  current. 

"Yes,  it  is  true  they  ought  to  be  called  Okaskewaysesuk," 
he  soliloquized  as  he  pulled  himself  up  on  the  bank. 

How  THE  Ermine's  Fur  came  to  change  with  the  Season. 

Wisagatchak  was  once  more  free.  As  he  was  going  along, 
he  fell  upon  the  track  of  a  bear.  The  bear  turned  upon  him 
saying,  "You  will  be  a  dead  man  before  the  day  is  done. 
Gather  firewood  at  once,  I  am  going  to  roast  you." 


/ 


212 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH 


'  r 


VVisagatchak  was  thorouKhh-  frif^htencd,  and  at  once  obeyed. 
In  his  search  for  wood  he  found  an  ermine,  to  which  he  ap- 
pealed for  assistance. 

"M\'  little  brother,  )'ou  can  save  me  from  the  bear;  you  run 
and  jump  down  his  throat  and  jjnaw  his  heart.  Do  not  be 
afraid  for  I  will  not  let  him  kill  \ou." 

The  ermine  did  as  directed.     The  bear  became  impatient. 

"Be  quick!  be  quick!  my  heart  is  achin^{I"and  aj^ain, '*  hurry! 
hurry!" 

Wisapatchak  purposely  delajed  until  the  bear  fell,  djing  from 
the  wounds  inflicted  by  the  little  ermine.  Then  he  threw  heavy 
sticks  upon  him,  sa\ing,  "There  is  your  wood,  much  good  may 
it  do  you." 

In  those  days  the  ermine's  fur  was  red,  making  it  a  pretty 
but  conspicuous  animal.  Wisagatchak  found  that  his  little 
friend  had  perished,  but  life  was  at  once  restored  b)'  the  manito, 
who  dismissed  him  with  these  words,  "You  have  helped  me, 
my  little  brother,  I  will  reward  you  b}'  changing  your  color,  so 
that  your  enemies  cannot  see  )ou.  You  shall  be  brown  in 
summer  and  white  as  the  snow  in  winter." 


tht 


How  Touchwood  Originated. 

One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  upon  a 
large  flock  of  waterfowl,  including  a  number  of  nice  fat  geese. 
Quickl)'  forming  a  plan  to  gel  some  of  them,  he  went  into  the 
muskeg  and  gathered  a  bag  of  moss  with  which  he  approached 
the  geese,  who  called  to  him,  "What  have  you  in  that  bag?  " 

"Those  are  my  songs,  I  am  a  musician." 

"Make  u?  a  dance,  then." 

"All  right,"  said  Wisagatchak,  "I  will  make  a  big  medicine 
lodge,  and  you  must  do  as  I  tell  you  in  the  song." 

They  promised  to  do  so,  and  fell  to  dancing,  gradually  ar- 
ranging themselves  in  a  long  line  with  their  necks  crossed  and 
their  eyes  shut  as  the  song  proceeded.  A  loon  near  the  door 
noticed  that  the  manito  sometimes  mumbled  his  song  or  ceased 
altogether  for  a  moment;  becoming  suspicious,  he  opened  one 
eye  a  little  and  saw  the  singer  biting  off  the  head  of  a  goose, 
several  of  which  were  already  lying  dead. 

"  Ho,  Wisagatchak!  Wisagatchak!  He  will  kill  us  all!"  cried 
the  loon.     Everything  was  instantly  in   an  uproar.     As  the 


I 


!l^ 


»iss.'»?*!«.'-'»tsfr' 


MYTHS  OF  THE  WOOD  CREES 


213 


fleeing  birds  passed  him,  the  angry  manito  gave  a  savagi"  kick  at 
the  loon,  driving  its  legs  far  back,  where  the)'  are  fixed  li*  the 
present  day.  Wisagatchak  made  preparations  to  have  a  fea<«t. 
The  geese  were  buried  in  the  sand  with  their  legs  abu\ «'  the  ->ur- 
face,  and  a  roaring  fire  was  built  over  them. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "  I  will  have  a  nap  while  they  are  roast'ng." 
One  side  of  his  bod)'  was  to  remain  on  guard  while  the  oth^-r 
slept.  The  sleeping  side  was  soon  awaken<;d  to  be  told  that  a 
boat  load  of  foxes  was  passing.  The)'  soon  disappeared  and 
the  waking  half  was  so  berated  for  disturbing  the  slumbers  of 
the  other,  that  it  resolved  to  go  to  sleep  also,  and  not  incur 
further  displeasure.  The  foxes  soon  returned  and,  discovering 
the  geese,  removed  them,  leaving  onl)'  the  legs  sticking  in  the 
sand.  Wisagatchak  discovered  his  loss  upon  awakening  and, 
in  his  anger,  heated  a  large  stone  and  pressed  it  against  the 
offending  side.  As  it  began  to  burn  with  a  hissing,  clue,  clue, 
he  exclaimed,  "Oh  yes,  I  will  make  )ou  sing  chee-e-e-e-e, 
chee-e-e-e-e,  for  allowing  all  my  geese  to  be  stolen." 

As  he  went  along,  while  the  wound  healed,  a  piece  of  dried 
flesh  fell  at  his  feet.  Not  noticing  whence  it  had  come  he 
picked  it  up  to  eat  it.  Kitche  Ganeseesuk  flitting  about  among 
the  bushes  called  out,  "Wisagatchak  is  eating  his  own  flesh." 
Throwing  the  piece  in  his  hand  against  a  birch  tree  he  exclaimed, 
"Let  that  be  called /'//iv/ji,'-//;/  (touchwood)  forever." 


Wisagatchak's  Adventure  with  the  Beaver. 


\\ 


One  day,  as  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  upon  a 
beaver  which  was  cutting  green  cottonwoods  for  food.  Seeing 
him  approaching  the  beaver  sank  down,  feigning  death. 

"Why  do  )'ou  not  work?"  said  the  manito.  Receiving  no 
answer,  he  concluded  that  the  animal  was  dead.  He  then 
fastened  a  line  about  its  neck  and  hung  it  over  his  shoulder, 
having  to  take  off  his  fire  bag  to  make  a  place  for  it.  The  fire 
bag  was  disposed  of  by  being  tied  to  the  beaver's  tail.  When 
he  reached  a  suitable  camping  place  the  manito  built  a  fire  and 
went  to  cut  four  sticks  upon  which  to  roast  the  four  quarters 
of  the  beaver.  During  his  absence  the  beaver  escaped.  Hear- 
ing it  splashing  in  a  creek  near  by  he  rushed  back  and  dis- 
covered its  flight. 

"  My  fire  bag!  Give  me  my  fire  bag,  '  he  crier-,  but  the  beaver 
only  laughed  in  reply. 


I  1' 


i*i 


214 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


"  My  little  brother,  give  me  my  fire  bag,"  he  again  entreated. 
The  beaver  threw  out  the  bag  which  lodged  in  a  branch  above 
his  head.  Wi.sagatchak  saw  the  image  of  the  fire  bag  reflected 
from  the  surface  of  the  water  and,  mistaking  it  for  the  object, 
reached  toward  it,  not  finding  it  he  plunged  to  the  bottom  in 
search  of  it;  as  he  turned  he  caught  sight  of  it  in  'he  tree. 
Angered  bj-  his  mishap  and  planning  vengeance  upon  the  beaver 
he  hastened  to  its  lodge  to  await  its  return.  After  waiting  a 
long  time  he  fell  asleep,  in  which  condition  he  was  discovered 
by  the  whole  beaver  famil\-  which  covered  him  with  mud  and 
sticks  up  to  his  neck  so  that  he  was  quite  helpless. 

"Now,  we  will  waken  him  b\'  scratching  his  face,"  said  his  tor- 
mentors, who  eluiled  his  pursuit,  wli<  n  hi"  iiad  worked  himself 
free,  b)-  dashing  awa>-  into  the  mudd)  waters  of  the  lake. 


The  Mauic  Akkows. 

As  Wisagatchak  was  going  along,  he  came  upon  a  lodge 
whose  onl\'  occupant  was  an  old  wife  who  informed  him  that 
she  lived  with  her  four  sons,  who  were  then  away  hunting. 
They  returned  in  the  evening,  carrying  their  arrows  with  their 
points  uppermost.  The  \oung  men  said  nothing,  but  left  the 
camp  next  morning  again  in  search  of  deer.  VVisagatchak's 
curiosit)'  was  aroused  by  their  conduct  so  that  he  sta>ed  vmtil 
evening,  when  they  returned,  carrying  their  arrows  in  their 
hands  and  having  each  a  deer's  heart  upon  his  back. 

"  My  sister,  I  should  like  to  have  arrows  like  those,"  said  the 
manito;  at  the  request  of  their  mother  the  hunters  gave  Wisa- 
gatchak a  handful  of  the  magic  arrows  anil  allowed  him  to 
accompan)'  them  upon  their  hunting  trip  tiie  next  da\'.  They 
instructed  him  in  the  manner  of  holding  the  arrows,  that  when 
the  heads  were  pointed  upward  the  person  holding  them  was 
borne  swiftly  thrcagh  the  air;  when  they  were  pointed  toward 
a  deer,  both  arrow  and  hunter  passed  through  the  body  of  the 
animal.  Wisagatchak  was  so  successful  with  his  first  attempt 
that  he  declared,  **  I  will  go  hunting  alone,  now." 

"You  will  kill  yourself  if  you  miss  the  ribs,"  said  the  others, 
as  he  left  them. 

He  soon  discovered  a  large  moose  and,  not  heeding  the  warn- 
ing, pointed  his  arrows  at  its  head  against  which  he  crashed 
killing  the  moose  and  stunning  himself.     When  Wisagatchak 


i> 


MYTHS   OF  THE    WOOD   CREES 


215 


did  not  return  the  old  wife  was  much  conccrnL-d  and  sc-nt  her 
sons  to  search  for  him.  The\  soon  found  him  anil  b}'  blowinjj 
(formerly  the  principal  "medicine"  of  Northern  Indians,  7'iiie 
Hearne)  restored  him  to  consciousness  and  brouf^ht  him  back 
to  their  lodj^e.  As  they  mended  the  shattered  arrows  he  re- 
covered; when  they  were  cjuite  perfect  he  was  well  and  stronjf 
again. 

The  younj^f  men  had  a  (|uiver  for  their  arrows  which  VVisa- 
gatchak  coveted.  That  nif^dit  he  stole  it  and  fietl.  When  he 
laid  down  to  sleep,  at  last,  he  kept  the  (juiver  in  his  grasp. 
Toward  morning  he  was  awakened  by  the  old  wife  who  said, 
"You  have  been  stealing." 

Much  to  his  discomfiture,  he  found  himself  once  more  in  the 
lodge.  The  ne.xt  night  he  again  took  the  (jviiver  and  .v  tit 
awa>'  a  long  distance.  Instead  of  l>ing  down  io  sleej)  h  -d 
himself  to  a  tree.  lie  was  awakened  at  tlaylight  b\'  the  words, 
"  You  have  bi-en  stealing  again,"  and  \m'  found  himself  tied  to 
a  tree  before  the  lodgi-.  The  woman  advised  him  to  ask  for 
the  quiver.  Me  did  so  and  it  was  given  to  him.  Me  then  set 
off  u|)on  his  travels  once  more.  As  he  was  going  ah^ng,  he 
discovereil  an  Indian  cam}j  toward  which  he  crawled.  Its 
inhabitants  caught  sight  of  the  manito,  and  fired  upon  and 
iiearl)'  killed  him.  Me  remembered  his  tpiiver  of  arrows  in 
time  to  save  himself  by  fi>ing  through  the  camp. 


^'k 


^ 


\\v.  lii;coMi:s  Hi.ind. 

As  he  continued  his  entlless  jourm-y,  he  heard  someone  call- 
ing for  his  eyi-s,  anil  he  came  uj)()n  a  mi-dicine  man  who  threw 
his  eyes  into  tiie  air,  shook  his  staff  at  them,  and  called  upon 
them  to  return. 

Wisagatchak,  of  course,  was  an.xious  to  acquire  this  power, 
and  asked.  "\Vh\'  do  \ou  do  that?" 

"That  is  the  way  I  treat  them  when  they  are  sore,"  was  the 
repl\"  of  the  magician,  who  readily  ilivulged  the  secret  to  Wisa- 
gatchak. Me  was  cautioned  not  to  attempt  the  feat  unless  his 
eyes  reall)'  needed  treatment.  Me  soon  forgot  the  warning 
and  exercised  his  new  power  with  success. 

"That  is  ni)'  trick  now,"  said  he  laughing  to  himself.  Pre- 
tending that  his  e\es  were  sore  he  again  cast  them  from  him, 
but  instead  of  returning  the  e>es  fell  far  be\ond  his  reach.    As 


i'- 


2l6 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


he  crept  about  on  his  hands  and  knees  searching  for  them,  he 
was  discovered  by  a  fox  which  cauf,fht  up  a  stick  and  thrust  the 
end  into  the  empty  eje-sockets  of  helpless  Wisagatchak,  caus- 
him  to  cry  out  with  the  pain.  The  fox  was  delighted  with  its 
success  and  tried  again,  but  the  manito  succeeded  in  catching  it. 

"Now,  I  will  kill  you,"  said  he. 

"  VVh)-  do  you  not  keep  me,  and  I  will  lead  \ou  about?"  asked 
the  fox.  Seeing  the  wisdom  of  this,  he  spared  the  life  of  the 
fox  and  continued  his  journey  holding  to  its  tail.  VVisagatchak 
soon  tired  of  that  manner  of  traveling  and  told  the  fox  to  bring 
him  some  clear  spruce  gum.  When  he  obtained  this,  he  shaped 
two  pieces  for  eyes;  after  rubbing  them  a  few  times  he  was 
able  to  see  a  little.  Again  he  rubbed  until  his  sight  was  wholl)' 
restored.  He  then  released  the  fox,  sa)ing,  "Now,  make  \our 
own  living." 

The  fox  ran  off  and  soon  fell  asleep  upon  a  grassx'  point 
which  projected  into  the  lake.  VVisagatchak  fired  the  grass 
and  the  fox  perished  in  the  flames. 

End  of  VVisagatchak. 

Continuing  his  wanderings  he  fell  in  with  a  famil)'  of  bad 
Indians,  from  whom  he  endeavored  to  escape,  but  was  pursued 
by  muskrats,  emplosed  b)-  his  enemies  to  bring  him  back. 
VVisagatchak  blew  upon  the  muskrats  driving  them  back,  sa\'- 
ing,  "  Go,  build  lodges  for  your  children,  and  wherever  there  is 
a  people  the\'  shall  know  where  )ou  live  an;l  shall  use  your 
skins."  And  the  muskrat  builds  its  lodge  and  is  killed  for  its 
fur  down  to  the  present  daw 

Hut  the  rats  drove  VVisagatchak  out  of  this  countr)-.  The 
narrators  of  the  legends  all  agreed  that  this  w  as  his  last  adven- 
ture ///  Amcnca. 

ANIMAL   MYTHS. 
The  Moose  and  the  Hare. 

A  hare  accosted  a  passing  moose  one  daj  with  the  remark, 
"  You  are  proud." 

"  I  am  no  prouder  than  )ou  au,  '  was  the  repl\-. 

"  Yes,  }ou  are,  for  1  go  into  an}'  snare;  even  a  woman's  garter 
will  catch  me.     I  serve  as  food  for  a  great  man)-." 

"  I  am  more  benevolent  than  that,  for  when  a  man  kills  me 
he  has  a  great  deal  of  meat." 


h 


■\i 


MYTHS   OF   THE    WOOD    CREES 


217 


The  Moose  and  the  Jackfish. 

As  a  jackfish  was  lyingwith  its  back  out  of  the  water,  a  moose 
came  down  to  the  stream  to  drink. 

"  You  look  very  proud,"  said  the  jackfish. 

"  You,  also,  look  very  proud,"  replied  the  moose. 

"Oh,  no!  I  am  kind-hearted;  I  allow  the  women  and  chil- 
dren to  catch  me,  and  I  keep  them  from  starving.  Hut  you  are 
a  coward.   You  run  awaj'  if  you  see  a  man's  track  in  the  bush." 

The  moose  was  an<jr\'  at  this,  and  struck  the  fish  upon  the 
head  with  its  forefoot. 

"  Your  head  shall  always  be  shaped  like  ni)-  hoof,"  said  he. 
And  so  it  is  to  this  day. 


k 


The  Owl  and  the  Cascade. 

Pafunagesup,  the  little  owl,  was  the  husband  of  VVahpenao, 
the  ptarmijran,  and  brother  of  Ohomashoo,  the  nif^ht  owl. 
PafunafTL'sup  was  t>oing  alonj^^,  when  he  came  upon  a  cascade. 
Perching  upon  a  loft}'  branch  of  a  dead  tree,  hi;  said  to  the 
waterfall,  "  We  shall  see  who  can  call  the  longer." 

The  fall  stopped  and  answered,  "  Oh,  no,  m\-  little  grand- 
child, you  will  never  call  as  long  as  I;  for  I  shall  call  as  long  as 
the  world  shall  stand." 

"  Never  mind,  I  shall  call  the  longer,  an\way,"  said  the  vain- 
glorious little  pafunagesup,  as  he  began  his  cry.  Soon  the 
cascade  again  stopped  to  remonstrate.  "  M\  little  grandchild, 
it  is  of  no  use  for  you  to  continue,  for  I  shall  never  stop." 

But  the  owl  would  not  desist.  After  a  long  time,  the  cas- 
cade again  ceased  its  roaring.  "Aha!  I  uAd  \  ou  that  I  would 
call  longer  than  )ou,"  said  the  owl. 

"No,  I  only  stopped  to  warn  \ou,  for  the  last  time,  that  I 
shall  call  forever;  "  and  again  they  continued.  Little  pafunage- 
sup called  and  called,  until  his  head  dropped  off,  and  his  neck 
was  all  worn  away,  which  accounts  for  the  apparently  headless 
condition  of  the  bird  to  this  da)'. 

How  Sea  Watek  hecamk  Unfit  to  Drink. 

At  the  beginning,  all  the  small  fur-bearing  animals  were  in 
constant  fear  of  their  lives,  owing  to  the  existence  of  a  ver)' 
large  skunk  which  pre)ed  upon  them.     The)-  at  last  gathered 


m 

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2l8 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


to  hold  a  fjreat  council  to  consider  ways  and  means  by  which 
they  might  rid  themselves  of  the  common  enemy.  It  being 
reported  that  the  dreaded  monster  was  approaching,  the  mink 
was  sent  out  to  reconnoitre.  Catching  sight  of  huge  footprints 
in  the  distance,  the  mink,  feaii.ig  to  run  across  the  crust  of  the 
snow,  dived  beneath  it  and  burrowed  his  way  to  the  track.  He 
recognized  it  at  once  and  hastened  back  to  give  the  alarm.  The 
assembly  fled  in  a  body  and  did  not  halt  until  they  had  passed 
through  a  narrow  defile  in  a  loft}'  range  of  hills.  The  carcajc, 
then  climbed  a  tall  tree,  and  reported,  "  From  here  I  can  see  a 
lake.  There  is  a  point  extending  into  it  and  enclosing  a  bay 
shaped  like  a  beaver  house.  Let  us  go  out  on  the  lake,  and 
turn  back  into  the  ba}, there  the  lynx  and  I  will  kill  our  enemy 
the  secak." 

In  the  meantime,  the  secak  had  been  disturbed  at  the  time 
the  mink  came  upon  his  trail.  Turning  back  upon  the  track, 
he  soon  came  upon  the  footprints  which  the  mink  had  dis- 
covered. Divining  the  cause  of  the  tunnel  under  the  snow  he 
followed  it  to  the  deserted  camp,  where  he  found  an  old  marten 
which  had  been  deserted  by  the  frightened  counsellors.  The 
marten  taunted  him,  sa\ing.  "You  arc  sharp-nosed,  \ou  have 
narrow  bony  jaws.  All  of  the  other  animals  run  away  from 
}OU,  because  you  are  so  ugly." 

"My  grandmother,  here  is  a  little  hair-grease  for  \ou,"  said 
the  secak,  throwing  some  of  his  mephitic  oil  upon,  and  instantly 
killing,  the  old  marten  He  set  off  upon  the  track  of  the  flee- 
ing multitude,  following  them  until  he  came  out  upon  the  lake, 
where  he  was  seen  by  the  pursued.  His  tail  appeared  like  a 
great  sail  and  the  ice  cracked  beneath  his  tread.  The  carcajou, 
having  taken  command,  concealed  his  forces  under  the  snow 
and  dug  tunnels  that  the\-  might  communicate  with  each  other. 
The  secak  came  up  to  the  carcajou,  which  was  sitting  beside 
one  of  the  holes:  "  Why  do  you  all  run  away  across  the  hills?" 

"  We  are  afraid  of  such  an  ugly  brute  as  you,"  replied  the 
carcajou,  diving  into  the  snow,  as  the  angry  skunk  strove  to 
cover  him  with  its  oil.  The  carcajou  came  up  through  one  of 
the  numerous  passages,  and  laid  hold  of  the  secak  from  below, 
crjing,  "  I  have  him!  Come,  everybod}!  Strike  him!  Spear 
him!  " 

They  all  came  pouring  forth  from  their  hiding  places,  bring- 


MYTHS   OF   THE    WOOD    CREES 


2^9 


ing  ice-chisels  and  other  weapons.  The  carcajou  called  for 
the  lynx,  which  had  wandered  away,  but  was  returning  upon 
hearing  the  uproar.  Mounting  an  overhanging  branch,  he  sur- 
ve)ed  the  situation  and  wondered  what  made  it  so  smoky.  At 
last  he  was  able  to  distinguish  the  secak  through  the  haze. 
Leaping  upon  the  monster's  back  he  began  to  bite  and  scratch. 
He  was  caught  and  his  legs  were  bent,  as  they  are  to  this  day. 

At  last,  the  secak  was  killed.  The  carcajou,  totally  blind 
and  covered  with  the  vile  odor,  asked,  "Where  shall  I  wash 
myself?  " 

"Go  to  the  big  water.  Go  to  the  sea.  If  )ou  wash  here  it 
will  spoil  our  lake." 

They  showed  him  the  right  course,  and  he  set  off  to  find  the 
great  water.  "  What  tree  are  you?  "  said  he,  catching  at  a  stick 
now  and  then  as  he  passed  along.  One  replied,  "  I  am  a  pine 
that  stands  on  the  high  ground." 

Another  said.  "  I  am  a  birch  that  grows  in  the  valley."  And 
at  last,  "  I  am  a  willow  that  grows  by  the  sea."  Then  he  knew 
he  was  near  his  journey's  end.  Plunging  into  the  water  he 
cleansed  himself  thoroughly.  Hence  the  pol'ution  of  sea  water, 
which  renders  it  unfit  to  drink  to  the  present  day. 

The  carcajou  started  homeward,  loudly  proclaiming  his 
triumph  in  song.  A  band  of  wolves  heard  him  singing  and  said, 
"  Let  us  frighten  our  little  brother."  So  the)'  hid  themselves 
and  as  he  was  passing  they  suddenly  sprang  out  upon  hiiu.  The 
startled  carcajou  climbed  a  tree,  but  quickl\'  descended  when 
they  assured  him  that  it  was  onl)-  a  trick.  The)-  then  joinneyed 
on  together.  The  carcajou  becoming  hungrj-,  an  old  wolf  dis- 
patched the  ,ounger  ones  after  a  moose  whose  tsack  they 
crossed.  The\'  soon  found  and  killed  their  ga  ne.  After  eat- 
ing the  meat,  an  old  wolf  re  irked:  "I  am  uoing  to  make 
grease  of  the  bones  and  you  n        not  look  to  see  how  ri  i^  done." 

He  was  grinding  up  the  b  s  to  get  the  marrow,  when  the 
carcajou,  unable  to  restrain  us  curiosity,  opened  :iis  eves  a 
little  to  peep  at  the  perf<  ince.  Scarcely  had  he  done  so 
when  he  received  a  terrific  )!ow  in  the  face  which  flattened  it; 
and  so.  as  a  reward  for  h  riosit)'.  it  remains  to  this  day. 

The  other  animals  held  ,i  council  after  the  departure  of  the 
carcajou  to  consider  what  should  be  done  with  the  carcass  of 
the  secak.     The)-  finally  decided  to  cut  it  up  and  scatter  the 


»!'.■' 


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2  20 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


pieces  all  over  the  world  for  fear  it  might  regain  its  life.  This 
was  clone;  and  accounts  for  the  small  size  and  wide  distribution 
of  this  prett)-  but  unsavor)'  animal. 

Teena's  Story. 

Teena  was  an  old  Loucheux,  who  lived  at  McPherson.  Some 
time  after  the  establishment  of  the  Anglican  mission  he  called 
on  Archdeacon  McDonald  and  related  the  following: 

"  I  have  been  out  hunting.  I  had  no  luck  away  there,  but 
as  I  was  crossing  a  small  prairie  I  saw  a  little  smoke  before  me, 
which  seemed  to  move  awa)'  as  I  went  on.  I  found  it  strange, 
but  kept  on,  thinking  what  a  fun  to  have  a  camp  read)-  made. 
At  last  I  came  up,  and  found  to  my  suprise  that  it  was  the 
devil  who  was  sitting  before  the  fire. 

"  '  Can  I  camp  with  you?  '  said  I. 

"  '  Yes,  lay  some  brush  for  yourself  there,'  said  he. 

"  '  I  have  no  luck  of  late  in  hunting.'  said  I. 

*'  '  It  is  the  same  with  me.'  said  he.  '  Ever  since  the  mission 
was  started  I  have  had  no  luck  at  all  here.  I  have  been  around 
two  or  three  days  this  trip  and  have  no  one  yet.'  " 


( 


' 


NATURAL  HISTORY 


!'• 


'  ii] 


, 


MAMMALS 

THE  primar)-  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  collect  mam- 
mals, especially  the  larger  ones,  and  birds.  There  was 
little  time  to  follow  other  lines  of  investigation,  which  would 
have  received  attention  bj-  a  better  equipped  and  larger  party. 
Previous  experience  had  taught  me  that  "the  onl\'  wa\-  to  col- 
lect is  to  collect,"  which  induced  me  to  spend  every  available 
hour  in  the  field. 

A  great  deal  of  labor  was  required  which  did  not  directl}- 
advance  the  scientific  purposes  of  the  expedition;  a  month's 
time  was  lost  in  Winnipeg,  weeks  and  months  were  spent  in 
traveling. 

The  region  traversed  extends  from  the  Saskatchewan  River 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  and  from  Lake  Winnipeg  and 
Bathurst  Inlet  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  embracing  an  area  of 
nearly  a  million  square  miles. 

The  Indians  and  Eskimos  that  inhabit  this  vas't  territory  are 
carnivorous  beings.  The\-  are  provided  with  firearms,  with 
which  they  kill  nearly  every  living  thing  which  it  is  in  their 
power  to  destro)',  without  merc\'  or  discrimination.  Most  of 
the  mammals  here  considered  have  a  commercial  value  at  the 
trading  stations,  either  for  their  flesh  or  skins,  or  both.  There 
are  about  fifteen  species  of  the  order  carnivora,  also  prej'ing 
upon  the  animal  life  of  the  region.    "It  is  a  country  of  death." 

Throughout  the  vallejs  of  the  Peace  and  Saskatchewan  Riv- 
ers there  are  more  or  less  extensive  prairies.  But  the  country 
in  general  is  wooded,  except  the  Barren  Ground,  which  occu- 
pies the  northeastern  portion  of  the  continent,  bej'ond  the  line 
drawn  between  the  mouth  of  the  Churchill  River,  and  Richards 
Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie.*  This  limit  of  forest 
growth  corresponds  closel)  to  the  summer  isotherm  of  50°  F."^ 

'  See  Report  on  the  Forests  of  North  America,  by   Chas.  S.  Sargent, 
Tenth  Census  of  the  United  States. 
•  Seebohm,  Henry,  in  the  Geographical  yournal,  London,  Vol.  II,  p.  337. 

223 


mm 


224 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


ABBREVIATIONS   USED. 


C. 

D.  R.. 
S., 
L.,     . 


Cree 
Dog  Rib 
Slave)' 
Loucheux 


1     'f 


Cariacus  macrotus  (^V?j').  Mule  Deer. 

This  species  is  now  becoming  rare  in  Alberta  among  the 
eastern  foothills  of  the  Rock\-  Mountains.  One  specimen,  the 
head  of  a  male,  with  large  antlers. 

Pangifertarandus  caribou  (A'<»'/-).  Woodland  Caribou. 

Tan-tzl,  D.  R.         Be-tsi,  S. 

The  antlers  of  this  species  which  I  have  seen  have  a  flatter 
beam  than  those  of  the  Barren  Ground  caribou.  They  are 
never  symmetrical.  I  obtained  a  pair  from  an  old  medicine 
man  near  Cedar  Lake,  who  had  kept  them  because  of  their 
symmetry,  which,  however,  was  not  perfect;  the  brow  tines  are 
heavy  and  slightly  palmated,  the  bez  tines  are  flat  and  broad, 
but  not  expanded  at  their  points,  and  are  proportionately 
larger  than  in  the  other  variety  of  caribou. 

Southwest  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake  we  frequently  came  upon 
their  trails  on  the  small  prairies,  where  they  had  plowed  up  the 
snow  over  considerable  areas  in  their  efforts  to  reach  the  grass. 

The)'  are  usual!)'  found  in  bands  of  four  or  five,  I  was  told 
by  the  Indians  that  they  did  not  occur  east  of  the  Northern 
Arm  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  but  west  of  it,  on  the  traverse 
between  Rae  and  Providence.  I  crossed  several  of  their  trails 
between  Birch  and  Lion  Lakes.  The  woodland  caribou  is  un- 
known at  McPherson. 

Their  skins  are  said  (by  Richardson)  to  be  infested  with 
gadfl)'  grubs,  as  are  those  of  the  Barren  Ground  caribou,  but 
the  dressed  leather  traded  at  Grand  Rapids  and  Resolution 
showed  no  trace  of  grub  holes.  The  leather  made  from  their 
skins  is  nearly  as  heavy  as  moose  leather  but,  as  I  learned  from 
sad  experience,  without  its  wearing  qualities. 

The  flesh  is  traded  by  the  Indians,  who  receive  5  IVB  for  a 
whole  caribou,  and  from  3  to  6  M3  for  a  dressed  skin. 


,-,1 


NATURAL    HISTORY. -MAMMALS 


225 


The)'  occur  in  the  wooded  portions  of  this  region  south  of 
the  Great  Hear  Lake. 

Reprcrsented  in  the  collection  by  a  fine  pair  of  antlers  from 
the  Saskatchewan. 

Rangifer  tarandus  (/.///>'/.).  Barken  Ground  Caribou.* 

Ek-wo',  We-tsi,  D.  R.        Vuth-zi.  L.         Xo-ti.  S. 

The  Barren  Ground  and  woodland  caribou  are  the  only  Amer- 
ican cervid;e  which  have  antlers  in  both  sexes.  These  are  shed 
so  irrejfularly  that  some  individuals  in  a  henl  may  be  si-en 
with  them  at  an\'  season.  The  new  horn  bej^nns  to  j^row  late  in 
April.  It  had  just  appeared  on  the  heads  of  the  caribou  which 
we  killed  at  the  termination  of  m\'  musk-ox  trip.  The  velvet 
is  not  all  cleared  off  until  November.  The  old  males  are  the 
first  to  shed  their  antlers;  some  of  those  which  I  secured  late 
in  November  would  probabl\'  have  cast  them  ver)'  soon,  as  they 
broke  away  easily  in  handling'  the  heads.  While  in  the  Barren 
Ground,  in  March  and  April,  I  saw  larj^'e  numbers  of  both  sexes 
with  antlers,  and  on  the  fifth  of  April  killed  a  buck,  four  or 
five  years  of  af^^e,  still  bearing  them.  One  of  those  collected 
in  November,  1S93  (No.  lo.HoJ),  a  male  of  two  years,  carried 
simple  spikes,  18  inches  in  lenj^th;  2  inches  above  the  head  the\' 
are  flattened  laterall)-  and  curved  backward.  The  terminal 
third  curves  upward  and  inward  and  is  aj^ain  compressed  ob- 
liquel}';  the  j^reatest  spread  is  13  inches.  The  antlers  of  No. 
10,811  have  a  spread  of  3  feet,  and  are  3  feet  7  inches  in  lenj^fth. 
One  brow  tine  is  a  spike,  the  other  a  plow,  8^  inches  in  width. 
The  bez  tines  resemble  a  half  closed  hand.  The  crown  con- 
tains 4  points  on  the  right  and  5  on  the  left  side.  Another 
large  male  (No  10,808),  has  antlers  fully  as  long  as  those  of  the 
preceding  but  with  a  much  heavier  beam  and  with  palmated 
crown  tines. 

The  Barren  Ground  caribou  is  called  the  reindeer,  caribou, 
or,  most  commonl)-,  deer,  in  the  North.  It  is  provided  in  sum- 
mer with  a  covering  of  soft  hair,  not  exceeding  an  inch  in 
length,  of  a  uniform  brown  above  and  a  lighter  shade  on  the 
lower  parts.  The  natives  hunt  them  in  August  and  September 
for  their  skins  which  are  then  in  their  best  condition  for  being 

1  See  p.  88,  ante. 

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EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


made  into  clothing;  later  the  long,  coarse  hair  of  winter  appears, 
which  is  heavy  and  easily  broken.  Their  color  in  winter — roan 
— readily  assimilates  with  the  gray-hued,  moss-hung  pines. 

Albinism  is  so  rare  among  them  that  old  Dog  Ribs  assured 
me  that  they  had  never  seen  a  "white  deer."  Yet  I  secured 
an  excellent  mountable  specimen  (No.  10,820)  which  had  been 
killed  by  the  Yellow  Knives,  who  hunt  northeast  of  the  Great 
Slave  Lake.  This  animal,  an  adult  male,  was  entirely  white, 
except  the  head,  which  was  but  little  lighter  in  color  than  it 
should  have  been  in  a  normal  condition.  They  feed  in  winter 
upon  dried  grass — I  have  seen  acres  of  snow  pawed  over  in 
search  for  it — and  the  cream  colored  "  reindeer  moss"  {Cla- 
do>iia  rangiferina) ,  one  of  the  commonest  lichens  on  the  hills  of 
the  region. 

The  caribou  are  gregarious,  ordinarily  ranging  in  bands  of 
a  few  score,  but  during  their  migrations  gathering  in  vast  herds 
containing  thousands  of  individuals.  They  seem  to  have  moved 
eastward,  as  they  have  entirely  deserted  the  timbered  country 
along  the  Mackenzie  River.  They  are  not  abundant  in  winter 
around  Rae,  where  they  were  killed  by  hundreds  ten  years  ago. 
Only  one  small  band  crossed  the  lake  toward  the  west  during 
the  winter  of  1893-4.  Thousands  remain  in  the  Barren  Ground 
with  the  musk-ox,  never  reaching  the  timber  at  all;  the  others 
gather  in  immense  herds  in  October  when  they  enter  the  woods 
and  work  southward  as  far  as  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  Lake 
Athabasca,  and  Reindeer  Lake.  North  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake 
between  longitude  109°  and  118°  W.,  the  greater  part  of  those 
which  enter  the  timber  are  massed  together  into  a  single  herd, 
which  is  so  erratic  in  its  movements  that  the  Indians,  who 
depend  entirely  upon  the  caribou  for  food,  are  often  reduced 
to  the  verge  of  starvation.  They  move  against  the  wind  so 
that  the  direction — whether  toward  Rae  or  Fond  du  Lac —  de- 
pends upon  the  prevailmg  winds  during  the  last  fortnight  in 
October.  In  March  they  return  to  the  edge  of  the  woods.  It 
is  said  that  only  the  females  reach  the  sea  coast,  where  they 
drop  their  young  in  June,  but  I  have  seen  both  sexes  wading  in 
the  shoal  water  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  south  of  Herschel  Island, 
in  July. 

West  of  the  Mackenzie  they  are  still  abundant  along  the  bar- 
ren coast  and  in   the   mountains  south  of  it.     They  migrate 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


227 


appears, 
er — roan 
ines. 
assured 
secured 
iiad  been 
he  Great 
ly  white, 
r  than  it 
in  winter 
[  over  in 
3s"  ^Cla- 
e  hills  of 

bands  of 

ast  herds 

^e  moved 

country 

in  winter 

ears  ago. 

it  during 

1  Ground 

le  others 

le  woods 

<e,  Lake 

ave  Lake 

of  those 

gle  herd, 

ans,  who 

reduced 

wind  so 

ac —  de- 

tnight  in 

Dods.     It 

lere  they 

/ading  in 

i\  Island, 

the  bar- 
migrate 


' 


southward  in  autumn,  but  how  far,  is  not  known.  Rampart 
House  was  a  "  deer  post,"  being  situated  in  a  pass  traversed 
semiannually  by  the  caribou. 

The  whalers  reported  that  the  caribou  were  abundant  among 
the  islands  between  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  and  Cape 
Bathurst  in  July,  1894.  They  also  declared  that  they  saw 
steam  arising  from  hot  springs  around  which  the  natives  say 
that  the  caribou  become  mired  in  quicksands, 

Hearne  has  described  the  habits  of  this  species  and  given  an 
account  of  the  method  of  capture.  The  Copper  Indians  of 
that  time  built  large  pounds  into  which  the  caribou  were  driven 
and  captured  within  the  enclosure  by  the  use  of  snares.  One 
of  these  snares  (No.  10,839),  which  I  obtained  from  the  Dog 
Ribs,  is  9  feet  in  length  and  made  into  a  hard  line  .25  inch  in 
diameter  from  6  twisted  strands  of  babiche.  During  a  year's 
stay  in  the  country  I  saw  but  two  such  snares;  their  use  has 
been  practically  abandoned  by  the  Yellow  Knives  and  Dog 
Ribs  of  the  present  day.  At  the  time  of  Hearne's  visit  the 
caribou  were  also  killed  with  spears  made  of  copper  from  the 
Copper  Mountains.  At  the  present  time  thousands  are  slaugh- 
tered by  being  speared  in  the  back  while  swimming  across  the 
long  narrow  lakes  which  are  so  abundant  in  the  Barren  Ground. 
The  spears  are  now  made  from  old  files  which  are  drawn  out 
into  a  shank  8  to  12  inches  in  length,  with  a  diamond  shaped 
head  i  inch  in  width  (see  specimen  No.  10,843).  Hundreds 
are  killed  from  a  single  band  in  this  way;  the  light  canoes  sur- 
round them,  the  bewildered  creatures  are  herded  together  until 
within  reach  of  the  long,  slender  spears,  a  single  thrust  of  which 
is  sufficient  to  kill. 

In  winter  they  are  now  hunted  with  muzzle-loading  trade 
guns.  When  the  caribou  are  wary  and  few  in  number,  the 
hunter  pursues  them  upon  snow-shoes,  stalking  if  the  contour 
of  the  country  permits.  When  they  are  abundant,  the  hunter 
takes  his  stand  at  the  margin  of  an  ice-covered  lake  upon  which 
converging  lines  of  pine  brush,  laid  at  intervals  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  yards,  have  been  placed;  the  caribou  will  not  cross  the 
lines  but  approach  the  concealed  hunter,  who  usually  kills 
several  before  the  band  makes  off.  On  one  occasion  two 
frightened  caribou  approached  my  line  at  full  speed;  when 
they  caught  sight  of  it  they  stopped,  turned  back  and  again 


■  1iiS^m^,'*mm„.. 


mi-l 


^lii 


f  I;  • 


II 


>/■  ; 


(i  I'. 


I  ji 


228 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


came  on,  advancing  each  foot  cautiously,  as  if  trying  unsafe 
ice,  until  past  the  barrier.  When  I  hunted  them  with  dogs,  I 
could  but  pity  their  stupidity;  when  a  mile  from  their  pursuers, 
with  the  woods  and  safety  near  at  hand,  they  often  turned 
abruptly  and  came  flying  back  into  danger. 

The  Barren  Ground  caribou  is  of  great  value  to  both  the 
Indians  and  Eskimos.  Some  bands  of  Crees,  Chippewyans, 
Caribou  Eaters,  Yellow  Knives,  Dog  Ribs,  Slaveys,  Hares, 
Loucheux,  and  Rat  Indians  depend  almost  entirely  upon  them 
for  food  and  skins  for  lodges  and  clothing.  Every  part  of  the 
animal  is  utilized;  the  antlers,  before  the  advent  of  the  whites, 
were  used  for  ice  chisels,  the  name  for  this  tool  and  horn  being 
the  same  in  the  Dog  Rib  language;  later,  they  were  bored  out 
to  make  powder  flasks,  but  are  now  discarded  with  the  hoofs. 
The  flesh,  including  portions  of  the  intestines,  the  feet,  tendons, 
and  blood  are  eaten.  The  tongues  were  formerly  dried  and 
salted  for  export  by  the  Company.  The  unborn  calf,  the  udder 
of  a  milk-giving  cow,  the  tongue,  the  marrow,  and  the  back-fat 
are  the  parts  held  in  highest  esteem. 

Although  I  lived  for  two  months  with  the  Dog  Ribs  and  spent 
a  year  in  their  territory,  I  never  saw  them  eat  the  contents  of  a 
caribou's  stomach,  *  though  I  have  frequently  seen  them  empty 
the  stomach  to  use  it  as  a  receptacle  for  containing  the  blood 
until  frozen. 

A  gadfly  (thought  to  be  Hypoderma  lineata  by  Dr.  Riley,  but 
in  the  absence  of  specimens  it  is  uncertain)  deposits  its  eggs 
in  the  backs  of  the  caribou,  in  some  individuals  to  the  number 
of  several  hundred,  which  renders  the  skins  utterly  useless  for 
leather.  The  grubs  were  well  developed  in  the  latter  part  of 
April  when  I  left  the  Barren  Ground.  The  Indians  did  not 
remove  them  from  pieces  of  meat  destined  for  the  kettle. 
Hearne  says  of  them:^  "The  Indians,  however,  never  could 
pursuade  me  to  eat  the  warbles,  of  which  some  of  them  are  re- 
markably fond,  particularly  the  children.  They  are  always  eaten 
raw  and  alive  out  of  the  skin  and  are  said  by  those  who  like 
them  to  be  as  fine  as  gooseberries."  Richardson  writes:  "It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  in  the  month  of  May  a  very  great  num- 
ber of  large  larvae  exist  under  the  mucous  membrane  at  the 

1  Compare  Hearne,  'journal,  p.  316. 
•  Ibid,  p.  197, 


I&.  it! 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


229 


[  unsafe 

dogs,  I 

lursuers, 

1  turned 

>oth  the 
evvyans, 
,  Hares, 
Dn  them 
rt  of  the 
I  whites, 
rn  being 
Dred  out 
le  hoofs, 
tendons, 
ried  and 
le  udder 
back-fat 

tid  spent 
ints  of  a 
n  empty 
le  blood 

iley,  but 

its  eggs 

number 

eless  for 

part  of 

did  not 

;  kettle. 

:r  could 

n  are  re- 

lys  eaten 

vho  like 

s:  "It  is 

at  ntm- 

e  at  the 


root  of  the  tongue  and  posterior  part  of  the  nares  and  pharjnx. 
The  Indians  consider  them  to  belong  to  the  same  species  with 
the  oestrus  that  deposits  its  ova  under  the  skin;  to  us  the  larvae 
of  the  former  appeared  more  flattened  than  those  of  the  latter." 
This  variety  of  caribou  is  found  only  in  the  Barren  Ground,  in 
summer;  hence  it  occurs  only  along  the  northern  and  north- 
eastern border  of  this  region. 

They  are  becoming  restricted  in  their  range  east  of  the 
Mackenzie,  but  after  seeing  them  in  their  thousands  in  the 
Barren  Ground,  it  hardly  seems  possible  that  they  will  be  ex- 
terminated for  many  years  to  come  as  none  are  killed  by  white 
men.  except  a  few  by  whalers  or  exploring  expeditions,  owing 
to  the  comparative  inaccessibility  of  the  territory  which  they 
inhabit.  The  Eskimos  are  driving  them  from  their  hunting 
grounds  by  the  use  of  repeating  rifles.  The  Indians  are  also 
beginning  to  use  improved  weapons  with  disastrous  effect. 

Ten  specimens,  seven  skins  and  two  heads  at  Rae;  one  albino 
from  Fond  du  Lac,  Great  Slave  Lake. 

Alces  machlis  {Litm.).  Moose. 

Mus-wa,  C.        Ten-di,  D.  R.        Ti"-gik,  L.        Co-lo",  S. 

I  have  followed  the  classification  of  Flower  and  Lj'dekker 
who  consider  the  American  and  European  elk  as  varieties  of  a 
single  species.  The  large  size  of  the  moose  and  its  imposing 
antlers  has  made  it  a  favorite  subject  for  the  taxidermist,  yet 
the  ordinary  mounted  specimen  gives  us  but  an  imperfect  idea 
of  the  grandeur  and  majesty  of  bearing  of  the  moose  in  its 
native  forest — the  moss-hung  conifers  of  sub-arctic  regions. 
The  great  palmated  antlers  without  brow  or  bez  tines,  the  long 
slim  legs,  and  the  pendulous  lip  but  add  to  its  homeliness, 
when  removed  from  its  natural  surroundings. 

The  moose  when  alarmed  makes  off  at  a  shambling  trot 
which  is  said  to  be  swift  enough  to  soon  distance  a  man,  yet  in 
September,  1892,  I  ran  in  pursuit  of  a  three  year-old  moose 
that  had  been  thoroughly  frightened,  upon  which  I  gained  a 
hundred  yards  in  a  half  a  mile  and  which  I  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing. Hearne  states  that,  "Of  all  the  large  beasts  in  those  parts 
the  buffalo  is  easiest  to  kill  and  the  moose  are  the  most  diffi- 
cult."^     Having  successfully  stalked  them  in  September  and 

1  Journey,  p.  254. 


■WMfsa 


L[,U 

^■'{f;      i 

i '  ' 

Ck 


;  '    1 


mHM| 


r:     "  ■  - 


■:     \ 


'I 


230 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


October,  both  with  and  without  Indians,  I  am  satisfied  that  a 
white  man  can  secure  them  without  the  aid  of  natives.  They 
are  killed  along  the  rivers  from  the  decks  of  steamers,  which 
they  will  allow  to  approach  within  rifle  range.  In  winter  they 
are  stalked  as  in  summer,  though  when  the  snow  is  very  deep 
they  are  said  to  be  pursued  by  runners  upon  snow-shoes.  Dur- 
ing two  winters  in  the  north  I  knew  of  no  instance  where  they 
were  so  hunted.  From  two  to  five  are  usually  found  together, 
and  it  is  very  seldom  that  the  Indian  hunter  does  not  succeed 
in  killing  more  than  one  of  them. 

The  flesh  of  the  moose  is  preferred  to  that  of  the  caribou, 
whether  fresh  or  dried.  Moccasins,  gloves,  mittens,  coats, 
lodges,  harness,  gun  covers,  sled  wrappers,  boats,  etc.,  are  made 
from  the  skins.  Thread  is  made  from  the  sinew  of  the  back, 
and  skin  scrapers  from  the  long  bones.  From  2  to  5  dollars  is 
paid  for  a  dressed  skin  and  about  half  as  much  for  the  meat. 

Mooseskins  are  supplied  to  all  Company's  posts,  where  the 
moose  are  not  found,  from  which  to  make  moccasins,  etc.,  for 
officers  and  servants. 

The  moose  is  found  throughout  the  wooded  portion  of  this 
region  and  even  beyond  the  timber  line  among  the  willow- 
covered  islands  of  the  Mackenzie  Delta.  William  Flett,  the 
interpreter  at  Fort  Smith,  one  of  the  most  intelligent  of  the 
Loucheux,  declares  that  the  moose  west  of  Rampart  House 
(abandoned  1893)  have  hoofs  like  the  mountain  goat.  They 
are  said  to  be  very  numerous  and  easily  approached  in  the 
mountains  west  of  Norman. 

McConnell  speaks  of  the  region  between  the  Devil's  Portage 
and  Hell  Gate  on  the  Liard  Riveras  "probably  the  best  moose 
country  in  North  America."  ^  They  are  common  west  of  the 
Northern  Arm  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake  but  rare  east  of  it.^ 
The  Indians  assert  that  this  is  due  to  the  presence  during  a 
part  of  the  year  of  the  Barren  Ground  caribou.  I  think  it  quite 
as  likely  that  the  absence  of  proper  food  for  a  browsing  animal 
may  account  for  such  distribution. 

Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  states  that,  in  1789,  moose  were  not 
found  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Liard  River  (61°  34'  N.);  this 

1  Ann.  Rep.  Geo.  Sur,  of  Canada,  Vol.  IV,  p.  46. 

»  According  to  King  tiiey  have  been  found  as  far  to  the  northeast  as  the 
Fish  River,  east  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake.    Narrative^  Vol.  I,  p.  192. 


) 


NATURAL    HISTORY.-MAMMALS 


231 


must  have  been  an  error  as  they  were  common  throuj^hout  the 
Mackenzie  valley  in  the  early  part  of  this  century  upon  the 
advent  of  the  traders.  The  Loucheux  of  the  lower  Mackenzie 
have  a  tradition  that  the  moose  have  migrated  from  the  west- 
ward.    Three  specimens,  Grand  Rapids. 


Bison  Americanus  Gmelin. 


Buffalo.! 


' 


The  wood  buffalo,  or — to  use  a  more  exact  term — woodland 
bison,  is  described  as  larger  and  darker  than  the  buffalo  of  the 
plains;  this  I  believe  to  be  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  our 
knowledge  of  the  northern  variet}-  is  based  on  the  study  of 
skins  taken  at  the  mo.st  favorable  season  of  the  )-ear  and  under 
circumstances  which  would  cause  the  largest  animals  to  be 
killed.  The  herd  at  present  consists  of  a  few  hundred  only. 
They  arc  so  wary  that  but  one  effective  shot  car  be  fired  when 
they  betake  themselves  to  instant  flight,  and,  as  with  the  moose, 
pursuit  is  altogether  futile.  They  cannot  be  hunted  in  summer 
as  the  country  which  they  inhabit  is  an  impenetrable,  mosquito- 
infested,  wooded  swamp  at  that  season.  The  Little  Buffalo 
River  is  unfit  for  navigation  and  the  lakes  and  ponds  cannot  be 
utilized  as  water  routes.  They  can  only  be  killed  by  stalking 
in  midwinter  when  their  pelage  is  at  its  best. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  grass  on  the  "little  prairies"  and 
on  the  borders  of  the  small  lakes  which  everywhere  abound; 
this,  of  course,  must  be  uncovered  by  the  buffalo  in  winter  as 
they  do  not  browse.  Ogilvie  states^  that  twenty-eight  j'ears  ago 
a  heavy  fall  of  rain  in  one  of  the  winter  months  saturated  the 
snow,  which  formed  a  heavy  crust  of  ice  and  prevented  the 
buffaloes  from  grazing,  which  resulted  in  their  almost  complete 
extermination. 

The  Indians  along  the  Peace  and  Slave  Rivers  make  occa- 
sional trips  into  the  buffalo  country  with  dog  teams  to  establish 
lines  of  marten  traps.  When  they  discover  a  band  of  buffaloes 
they  of  course  kill  as  many  as  they  can,  but  they  have  not 
made  systematic  efforts  to  hunt  them  for  their  robes,  as  they  have 
the  musk-ox.  Fortunately,  the  officers  of  the  Company  have 
exerted  their  influence  toward  the  preservation  of  the  buffalo, 
not  trading  for  the  robes,  until  the  recent  advent  of  rival  traders. 

*  For  description  of  buffalo  hunt,  see  p.  100,  ante. 

»  Ogilvie,  William,  Ann.  Rep.  Geo.  of  Canada^  Vol.  — ,  p.  39. 


A\ 


i-  i 


u  T^ 

ii 

; 

p.  f 


!'l 


232 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


During  the  winter  of  1892-3  forty  buffaloes  were  killed,  the 
largest  number  t'"'at  had  been  secured  for  several  years.  I  saw 
most  of  these  robes  which  were  very  dark,  the  hair  thick  and 
curled,  making  a  robe  superior  to  that  of  either  musk-ox  or 
plains  buffalo;  they  were  so  large  that  the  Indians  had  cut 
many  of  them  in  halves  for  convenience  in  hauling  on  the  sleds. 

From  20  to  100  Mi  are  paid  for  the  robes.  The  traders  are 
trying  to  induce  the  Indians  to  preserve  them  as  mountable skins. 

The  northern  limit  of  the  range  of  the  buffalo,  as  given  by 
Mackenzie,  was  the  Horn  Mountains,  north  of  the  Little  Lake. 
Pere  Ruore,  of  the  Saint  Michel  Mission  at  Rae,  who  has  crossed 
the  Rae-Providence  traverse  several  times,  assured  me  that  he 
had  seen  buffalo  skulls  on  the  prairies  which  lie  within  fifty 
miles  of  Providence,  northwest  of  the  western  end  of  the  Great 
Slave  Lake.  I  saw  no  remains  of  buffaloes  when  I  crossed 
these  prairies  in  December,  owing  to  the  snow,  but  the  countr)' 
is  similar  to  that  south  of  the  lake  where  they  are  still  found. 

Black  Head,  an  old  Yellow  Knife  chief,  living  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Riviere  au  Jean,  told  me  that  he  had  killed  "plenty  of 
buffaloes  "  in  the  delta  of  the  Slave  River.  About  fifteen  years 
ago  a  few  were  killed  near  Liard,  but  they  are  .seldom  seen  in 
that  quarter.  They  formerlj-  frequented  the  "Salt  Plains," 
forty  miles  northeast  of  Fort  Smith.  Franklin's  party  killed  a 
buffalo  in  that  vicinity  at  the  time  of  their  visit  in  1820.*  Rich- 
ardson states  that  in  1848  there  was  an  abundance  of  deer  and 
buffalo  meat  obtainable  on  the  Salt  Plains.'^ 

They  are  at  present  confined  to  the  neutral  ground  between 
the  Chippewyans  and  the  Beavers. 

The  Rev.  C.  G.  Wallace,  in  1892,  found  the  skull  of  a  fossil 
buffalo  {B.  antiqims?)  on  the  Porcupine  River,  and  others  have 
been  reported  from  the  Yukon  valley. 

The  collection  contains  a  very  large  skull  of  the  plains  buf- 
falo, which  was  secured  at  Pincher  Creek,  Alberta. 

Ovibos  moschatus  {Blainv.).  Musk-ox 

£t-jir-er,  D.  R.  Ck-ki,  L.  Ota  et-jTr-er,  S. 

The  musk-ox  is  a  short-limbed,  heavily-built  animal,  weigh- 

'  Franklin,  Sir  John,  Narrative,  p.  177. 
*  Arctic  Searching  Expedition^  p.  149. 


NATURAL   HISTORY.-MAMMALS 


233 


' 


ing,  according  to  Parry,  about  700  pounds;  the  head  and  hide 
130  pounds.' 

The  pelage  in  winter  is  much  darker  than  it  is  in  late  spring — 
the  season  during  which  they  are  hunted  for  their  skins.  They 
are  nearly  black  on  the  head,  neck,  and  sides.  The  back  is  of  a 
dark  seal  brown  except  an  oval  patch,  a  toot  in  length,  over  the 
lumbar  region.  This  "white  spot"  is  the  onl)  part  of  the  body 
where  the  under  wool  is  not  hidden  by  the  longer  hair.  It  is 
of  a  dark  chestnut  underneath  but  bleached  to  cream  buff  on 
the  surface.  The  long  hair  of  the  flanks  is  black  with  a  lighter 
brown  intermingled.  The  legs,  below  the  "knees,"  are  pro- 
tected by  short  hair  only,  pale  grayish  in  color.  The  long  hair 
of  the  hump  is  curled  and  about  8  inches  in  length.  The  coarse 
outer  hair  on  the  other  parts  is  straight,  attaining  a  length  of 
20  inches  on  the  throat  and  over  30  on  the  flanks. 

The  Barren  Ground,  which  they  inhabit,  is  a  vast  area  of 
rugged  hills;  most  of  them  are  boulder-strewn,  with  mosses, 
lichens,  and  occasional  plots  of  short  grass  on  slopes  that  have 
not  been  denuded  of  soil;  in  places,  high,  rolling  hills  of  gravel 
occur.  We  invariably  found  the  musk-ox  among  the  boulders 
at  the  summits  of  the  highest  hills.  These  rocks  afforded  but 
partial  concealment,  however,  as  the  color  of  the  musk-ox  is 
too  dark  to  assimilate  readily  with  its  surroundings  at  any  sea- 
son. They  probably  frequented  the  hill  tops  because  the  high 
winds,  which  prevail  in  that  region,  sweep  away  the  snow,  ena- 
bling the  animals  to  graze  with  little  digging. 

There  are  usually  twenty  or  thirty  in  a  band,  but  the)'  som.e- 
times  assemble  in  herds  containing  over  a  hundred.  Hearne 
states  that,  "there  are  only  two  or  three  males  in  each  band 
which  is  under  the  leadership  of  an  old  bull."  In  one  band  of 
eleven  which  we  killed  there  were  eight  males;  in  another,  in 
which  twenty-five  were  killed,  there  were  only  two  females,  and 
from  this  herd  I  shot  four  bulls  which  broke  away  from  the  dogs 
together;  all  were  of  the  largest  size  and  evidently  quite  old. 

The  musk-ox  presents  an  imposing  appearance  with  his  huge, 
shaggy  head  and  formidable  horns.  The  thick  coat  exagger- 
ates his  size;  the  erect  mane  gives  the  appearance  of  a  large 
hump  which  in  reality  only  rises  2%  inches  above  the  line  of 
the  back. 


»  Supplement  to  App.  to  First  Voyage^  p.  190. 


n...,i 


234 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


!  ' 


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t^. 

B 

The  length  of  one  of  the  males  (No.  10,775)  from  end  of  nose 
to  root  of  tail  exceeded  7  feet.  The  circumference  of  the 
body  next  the  fore  legs,  after  the  skin  had  been  removed,  was 
64  inches;  depth  of  chest,  26  inches;  circumference  of  neck, 
30  inches;  of  fore  leg  next  the  body,  15  inches.  The  measure- 
ments of  the  four  large  males  referred  to  above  varied  but  a  trifle. 

The  horns  of  the  males  are  expanded  and  flattened  until  they 
cover  the  crown  of  the  skull  for  a  distance  of  10  inches  back 
of  the  eyes.  They  have  a  spread  (No.  10,775)  of  26  inches  and 
a  total  length  of  29. 

The  orbital  ring  is  very  prominent,  projecting  2^  inches 
from  the  maxilla,  thus  carrying  the  eyes  beyond  the  thick 
woolly  covering  of  the  head.  In  skinning  the  heads  I  found  a 
mass  of  matted  hair  and  dirt  tightly  wedged  under  the  horns 
against  the  side  of  the  head.  The  horns  are  not  united  in  the 
oldest  bulls,  but  are  always  separated  along  the  median  line  by  a 
space  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  which  is  filled  by  fine,  grayish  hair. 

The  flesh,  in  April,  was  well  flavored  without  the  slightest 
perceptible  taint  of  musk.  The  animals  from  which  it  was 
taken  were  very  fat;  the  fat  itself  was  clear  white,  sometimes 
with  a  tinge  of  azure.  Major  Fielden  says,*  "The  cause  of  the 
disagreeable  odor  which  frequently  taints  the  flesh  of  these 
animals  has  received  no  elucidation  from  my  observations.  It 
does  not  appear  to  be  confined  to  either  sex  or  to  any  particular 
season  of  the  year;  for  a  young,  unweaned  animal,  killed  at  its 
mother's  side  and  transferred  within  an  hour  to  the  stew-pans 
was  as  rank  and  objectionable  as  any.  The  flesh  of  .s.9me  of 
these  animals  of  which  I  have  partaken  was  dark,  tender,  and 
as  well  flavored  as  that  of  four-year  old  Southdown  mutton. 
*  *  *  *  Leaves  and  stems  of  willow,  with  grasses,  were  in 
the  stomachs  I  examined."  Richardson  observes,  "that  when 
the  animal  is  in  good  condition  the  odor  of  musk  is  not  noti^^e- 
able,  but  when  lean  both  bulls  and  cows  smell  strongly  of 
musk."  The  marrow  is  large  and  white  in  the  heavy  leg  bones^ 
and  is  highly  prized  by  the  natives;  they  are  also  very  fond  of 
the  foetal  calves,  which  by  the  middle  of  April  seemed  fully 
developed;  the  skins  of  these  are  purchased  by  the  traders 
who  have  caps,  etc.,  made  from  them;  the  hair  is  short,  dark 
brown,  and  curled. 

>  Zoologist,  Vol.  I,  3rd  Series,  p.  358. 


NATURAL    HISTORY.— MAMMALS  235 

The  Indians  kill  the  musk-ox  simply  for  the  robes.  The 
flesh  is  wasted,  except  an  insignificant  quantity  which  is  con- 
sumed by  the  hunters  and  their  dogs  on  the  spot.  They  de- 
pend upon  killing  caribou  on  the  way  to  and  from  the  territory 
inhabited  by  the  musk-ox,  so  that  no  meat  is  taken  away. 
The  musk-ox  have  been  driven  back  so  far  into  the  Barren 
Ground  that  they  are  not  now  hunted  in  summer.  The  robes 
are  trimmed  nearly  square  by  cutting  away  a  broad  strip  along 
the  breast  where  the  hide  is  thick  and  th*i  hair  long;  experi- 
ence has  taught  the  hunter  that  he  will  get  50  MB  for  the  robe 
be  it  large  or  small,  so  he  cuts  it  down  in  order  to  make  room 
on  the  sled  for  a  larger  number. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that  the  musk-ox  form  in  a  circle 
when  surrounded  by  the  dogs,  which  are  released  from  the  har- 
ness to  chase  and  round  them  up.  I  had  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  observe  their  behavior  on  one  occasion,  when  we  ap- 
proached within  thirty  yards  of  a  dozen  musk-ox,  held  at  bay 
by  as  many  dogs.  They  were  in  two  groups  about  twenty  feet 
apart,  an  old  bull  standing  between  them.  They  were  not 
formed  in  a  circle  nor  in  two  circles,  but  all  turned  toward  any 
dog  which  ventured  too  nea.,  seldom  lowering  the  head  but 
standing  firmly,  the  head  in  line  with  the  back.  Two  other 
herds,  when  pursued  by  the  dogs,  scattered  in  all  directions; 
they  would  run  a  few  yards,  then  turn  to  dash  at  the  dogs  as 
they  closed  in,  repeating  this  performance  until  overtaken  by 
the  hunters  to  whom  they  fell  an  easy  prey.  Pike  says,^  "There 
is  an  idea  prevalent  in  the  North  that  on  these  occasions  the 
old  musk-ox  form  into  a  regular  square,  with  the  young  in  the 
center,  for  better  protection  against  the  dogs,  which  they  im- 
agine to  be  wolves;  but  on  the  t.vo  occasions  when  I  saw  a 
band  held  in  this  manner,  the  animals  were  standing  in  a  con- 
fused mass,  shifting  their  position  to  make  a  short  run  at  a  too 
impetuous  dog,  and  with  the  young  ones  as  often  as  not  in  the 
front  of  the  line." 

The  musk-ox  was  formerly  common  between  the  Mackenzie 
and  Behring  Straits,  as  evidenced  by  the  remains  which  are 
scattered  over  the  tundra.  The  oldest  natives  at  Point  Barrow 
say  that  their  fathers  killed  musk-ox  which  were  then  abun- 
dant.    Their  present  distribution  is  from  the  vicinity  of  the 

'  Barren  Ground  of  Canada,  p.  104. 


li 


^<mm 


Jl 


cull 

i 


236 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   FAR    NORTH 


Mackenzie   north   of  the  Great   Bear   Lake  to  Sabine   Island 
( 74^45'  N.)  on  the  east  coast  of  Greenland,  and  from  60° N.  in 
the  Harren  Ground  west  of  Hudson's  Baj-  through  the  North- 
ern Islands  as  far  as  man  has  penetrated. 
Five  specimens  killed  near  Bathurst  Inlet. 


Ovis  montana  Cuv. 


Mountain  Sheep. 


I  attempted  to  secure  specimens  of  big  horn  in  southwestern 
Alberta  in  April,  1893,*  but  was  unsuccessful.  I  afterward 
learned  that  the  Stoneys  use  dogs  in  hunting  them  at  that  sea- 
son. Two  specimens,  a  skull,  and  a  head  bearing  horns  14^^ 
inches  in  circumference  and  32  inches  long,  weighing,  without 
the  lower  jaw,  24  pounds. 


if    ;  U 


V:   i    A 


t 

'.  i 


fi 


Ovis  montana  dalli  (A^^/5.). 2  Alaska  Mountain  Sheep.'' 

The  specimen  of  this  rare  animal,  secured  by  Mr.  Russell 
through  the  kindness  of  Capt.  F.  C.  Murray,  of  Herschel  Island, 
is  an  adult  male  in  good  condition.  The  pelage  is  coarse,  like 
that  of  the  common  mountain  sheep,  but  very  thick  and  heavy, 
the  individual  hairs  being  5-6  inches  long.  The  color  is  white 
throughout,  with  a  yellowish  wash  on  the  forehead  and  in  front 
of  the  tarsi. 

The  most  conspicuous  anatomical  difference  between  this 
form  and  C.  7nontana  is  in  the  shape  of  the  horns,  which  are 
much  more  spreading  in  the  former,  one  specimen  showing  a 
spread  of  2  ft.  5  in.  between  the  tips,  and  another  i  ft.  8  in. 
The  common  form  shows  a  spread  of  only  i  ft.  5  in.  and  i  ft. 
in  the  two  specimens  before  me.  The  arctic  specimens  have 
much  larger  and  more  distinctly  separated  corrugations  on  the 
basal  half  of  the  horn  than  are  found  in  the  specimens  of  the 
southern  form  with  which  they  were  compared.  The  distal 
portion  of  the  former  is  more  conspicuously  flattened  than  in 
the  latter,  and  the  proximal  portion  more  distinctly  triangular 
in  cross-section.  There  is  also  a  notable  difference  in  the  rela- 
tive size  of  the  hoofs. 

The  following  measurements  of  mounted  specimens  will  show 

*  See  p.  47,  ante. 

*  Proceedings  U.  S.  Nafl  Mus.,  Vol.  VII,  p.  12. 

■These  specimens  having  been  received  during  the  absence  of  the  author, 
this  description  is  contributed  by  the  curator  of  the  museum. 


NATURAL   HISTORY.-MAMMALS  237 

the  comparative  proportions  of  C.  tnontana  dalli:in<\  C.  monta/ui, 
as  represented  by  a  good  mounted  specimen  of  each: 

C.  MONTANA 

UALLI.      C.  MONTANA. 

Ft.      In.  Ft.      In, 

Length  from  muzzle  to  base  of  tail,      ..52  5       S>i 

Height  at  fore  shoulder, 2     io>i  3       1 

Girth  back  of  fore  bhouldi  ' 3       y3^  4 

"       in  front  of  hind  shoulder,    ....  4       2  41 

Length  of  fore  leg  to  body  (inside)       ..18^  1       9 

"  hind     "  "  "...  2       3  ^3 

Muifle  to  base  of  horn 8^  9^ 

'•  "  ear, 1  | 

Distance  between  eyes 7  y 

Length  of  ear 41^  j 

Circumference  of  neck, 2       i  2 

Length  of  horn 2       6>^  2       6 

Around  base  of  horn, i       \%  i 

Spread  of  horns, i       8  i       2 

Length  of  front  hoof, 2]^  4 

Circumference  of  front  hoof 7^  9^ 

Elevation  of  "dew  claws,"  front  foot,  .     .  3  3^ 

"           "         hind      "           .  2%  3^ 

Length  of  longest  hairs, 5^  3 

The  above  measurements  show  that  var.  dalli  is  a  heavier  and 
stockier  form  with  more  conspicuously  corrugated  horns  hav- 
ing a  greater  spread,  with  much  longer  hair,  shorter  hoofs  and 
less  elevated  "dew  claws"  than  its  southern  relative. 

A  comparison  of  the  skulls  of  these  two  forms  does  not  dis- 
close differences  which  may  not  be  due  to  age  or  other  purely 
individual  causes.  c.  c.  n. 


' 


Haploceros  montanus  Rich. 


Mountain  Goat. 


A  head  obtained  from  the  Stoneys  is  among  the  specimens 
from  Pincher  Creek. 


Putiorius  erminea  {Linfi.) 


Ermine. 


Si-kwe-su,  C. 


Common  throughout  most  of  the  region  visited.  The  skins 
are  purchased  by  the  Saskatchewan  traders  for  5  cents  each. 
I  do  not  think  that  they  are  traded  in  the  North. 


•^1 


;<i 


"\ 


■t:  ri 


i 


i 


I 


238 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


Seventeen  specimens  were  secured;  one  at  Rae,  just  assuming 
the  winter  pelage;  three  at  Grand  Rapids;  and  thirteen  skulls 
from  Cedar  Lake. 

Mephiticus  mephitica  {Shaw).  Skunk. 

Si-kak,  C. 

Common  on  the  Lower  Saskatchewan,  where  the  skins  are 
purchased  by  the  traders  for  50  to  75  cents.  It  is  unknown  to 
the  Dog  Ribs  who  have  no  name  in  their  language  for  it. 

One  specimen,  Grand  Rapids. 

Lutreola  vison  (.SV//;'^<^^r).  Mink. 

Sak-we-su,  C.       Tech-u,  D.  R.        Chi-tha,  L.       Teh-u,  S. 

The  mink  is  decreasing  though  still  comparativel}^  common 
throughout  the  wooded  portion  of  this  region;  they  are  some- 
what rare  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie.  They  are  taken  in 
"mink  traps" — number  1%  steel  traps.  The  Dog  Ribs,  fearing 
the  evil  consequences  which  may  ensue  if  a  minkskin  is  kept 
in  the  lodge,  always  put  them  on  a  tree  or  scaffold  outside. 

The  price  paid  varies  from  i  to  3  IVB. 

One  specimen  in  the  collection,  from  Grand  Rapids. 

Mustela  americana  Turton.  Marten. 

Wa-pin-is-tan,  C.      N6h-we,  D.  R.      Tsuk,  L.      Noth-a,  S. 

The  marten  is  the  most  abundant  of  the  carnivores  of  this 
region.  Five  or  six  thousand  are  annually  obtained  at  a  single 
station. 

They  are  much  darker  in  the  southern  portion  than  they  are 
north  of  the  parallel  of  61°  N.  They  are  also  said  to  be  larger 
in  the  southern  districts,  but  I  had  no  opportunity  to  verify  this 
by  an  extensive  series  of  measurements.  I  have  never  heard 
of  albinos  among  them  but  I  saw  a  light,  lawny  yellow  skin  at 
Simpson,  which  was  received  during  1893. 

They  are  sometimes  caught  in  steel  traps,  but  the  greater 
part  of  them  are  caught  in  "  marten  traps  " — simple  dead  falls. 
These  are  quickly  and  easily  made  and  are  quite  as  effective 
as  more  expensive  traps. 

The  fur  is  not  used  by  the  Indians  save  for  an  occasional 


'•^h 

1     .    ^ 

i 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


239 


t  assuming 
:een  skulls 


Skunk. 

:  skins  are 
nknovvn  to 
or  it. 

Mink. 

'eh-u,  S. 

y  common 
are  some- 
e  taken  in 
bs,  fearing 
:in  is  kept 
(utside. 

s. 

Marten. 

)th-a,  S. 

es  of  this 
it  a  single 

I  they  are 
be  larger 
/erify  this 
^er  heard 
w  skin  at 

e  greater 
ead  falls, 
effective 

ccasional 


cap,  but  the  sale  of  marten  skins  is  the  only  source  of  revenue  of 
many  of  them.     They  receive  from  i  to  3  MB  for  a  prime  skin. 

The  traders  assert  that  the  marten  is  subject  to  periodic  mur- 
rains, as  is  the  varying  hare,  but  when  these  periods  occurred 
and  whether  at  seven  year  intervals  they  did  not  know.  The 
marten  is  found  throughout  the  wooded  portions  of  this  region. 
They  are  not  decreasing  in  numbers  except  in  some  of  the 
southern  districts. 

Two  specimens,  Crow  Nest  Pass. 

Nustela  pennanti  Erx.  F  i  s  h  e  r  . ' 

U-tcek,  C.  £n-e-i-wo",  D.  R.  No-tha-cho,  S. 

This  species,  usually  called  the  Pekan  in  literature,  is  known 
in  the  North  as  the  fisher.  They  are  described  by  the  trappers 
as  "big  black  marten";  the  Slavey  name  signifies  "big  marten." 

They  are  caught  in  dead  falls,  similar  to  but  heavier  than 
those  used  for  martens.     Steel  traps  are  also  used, 

Prime  skins  are  worth  from  10  to  15  IVB  in  the  country. 

The)'  are  not  common  anj'where  in  this  region.  They  extend 
northward  as  far  as  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  but  are  not  found 
between  Lake  Athabasca  and  the  Great  Slave  Lake  except 
along  the  Slave  River.  They  have  been  seen  just  north  of  the 
Mackenzie  at  Providence.  A  trader  who  has  spent  twenty 
years  in  the  North  assured  me  that  he  had  seen  but  one  fisher 
in  the  Mackenzie  District  and  that  one  was  taken  at  Lake  Bischo 
in  1881. 


Otter. 

Num-ba,  S. 


Lutra  hudsonica  {Lac). 

Nek-ik,  C.  Nom-ba,  Tcho,  L. 

The  otter  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  the  fur  bearing  mammals  of 
the  North. 

I  have  seen  an  otter  track  in  the  snow  near  Rae  in  Novem- 
ber far  from  open  water. 

The  finest  skins  are  said  to  come  from  the  Peace  River  Dis- 
trict. I  was  told  by  a  former  resident  of  Nelson  (abandoned 
in  1893)  that  the  otter  was  comparatively  common  there,  but 
that  the  superstition  of  the  Indians  prevented  them  from  killing 
the  animal.     At  many  other  posts  the  natives  prefer  to  bring 

^  See  p.  102,  ante. 


I    - 

I:- 


240 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


11 

■m 

m 

f:;V' 

■  •:  ii 

p^ 

#■; : 

'-*  .'i 

¥\: 


it: 


P:      ( 


I 


the  animal  unskinned  to  the  trader  or,  if  they  do  the  work  them- 
selves, the  skin  must  be  kept  outside  the  lodge. 

They  are  worth  from  10  to  15  ^B. 

The  otter  is  found  as  far  as  the  Arctic  Coast  but  does  not 
enter  the  Barren  Ground.  Hearne^  gives  62^  N.as  its  northern 
limit  on  Hudson's  Bay. 


GulO  luscus  Sab. 


Carcajou. 


Kwi-kwe-ke-o,  C. 


1  ■       j    .  '    I 

|r    ■"  I;  t 


This  species  is  called  in  the  Nortli  the  carcajou,  the  name 
wolverine  being  almost  unknown.  The  caracajou  is  cordially 
hated  for  his  thieving  propensities,  which  impel  him  to  rob 
caches  enclosed  in  frozen  earth,  beneath  heavy  stones,  or  in 
trees.  The  Crees  engaged  to  travel  from  the  Saskatchewan  to 
Selkirk  with  me  deposited  fish  at  three  places  for  use  on  their 
return.  They  cut  a  pit  in  the  ice  large  enough  to  contain  the 
fish,  then  broke  a  hole,  through  which  the  water  rose,  and  soon 
enclosed  the  fish  in  solid  ice;  the  snow  drifting  over  it  no  sign 
of  a  cache  remained  to  attract  the  carcajous  or  foxes. 

The  carcajou  is  too  cunning  to  be  taken  in  the  ordinary  trap 
but  is  sometimes  caught  in  a  modified  form  of  the  dead  fall. 
Most  of  those  secured  are  shot. 

The  skins  are  worth  from  5  to  10  ^(B  in  the  interior,  but  along 
the  coast  they  are  more  highly  valued  by  the  Eskimos  who  use 
them  for  trimming  their  skin  clothing.  The  Eskimos  pay  the 
Loucheux  and  Rat  Indians  a  higher  price  for  the  carcajou  skins 
than  do  the  traders.  The  whalers  even  bring  the  skins  from 
San  Francisco  to  trade  to  the  Eskimos.  The  carcajous  are 
decreasing  in  the  southern  part  of  this  region  throughout  which 
they  occur.  They  are  common  in  the  Barren  Ground  and  I 
have  seen  them  within  fifty  miles  of  Mackenzie  Bay. 

Felis  canadensis  Raf.  Canada  Lynx. 

No-ta,  D.  R.  Ni-chi,  L.  No-tha,  S. 

The  lynx  is  said  to  have  the  same  periodicity  of  increase  as 
the  northern  hare  upon  which  it  preys.  They  should  have 
been  at  their  maximum  during  the  winter  of  1893-4  but  in  the 
Great  Slave  Lake  region,  where  I  then  was,  the  "pishew"  or 

1  Journey,  p.  374, 


i 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


241 


'!■  I  . 


rk  them- 


ioes  not 
northern 


Carcajou. 

he  name 
cordially 
n  to  rob 
es,  or  in 
hewan  to 
:  on  their 
[itain  the 
and  soon 
t  no  sign 

nary  trap 
dead  fall. 

Dut  along 
who  use 
pay  the 
ou  skins 
ins  from 
ajous  are 
iut  which 
nd  and  I 


3A  Lynx. 


crease  as 
uld  have 
ut  in  the 
shew"  or 


"  link  "  was  by  no  means  common.  They  are  decreasing  in 
numbers,  but  not  because  of  the  decrease  of  the  hares.  Districts 
which  a  few  years  ago  received  thousands  of  lynx  skins  now 
obtain  but  a  few  hundred.  The  Crees  make  a  very  warm  and 
serviceable  robe  from  the  fur  of  lynxs'  feet  when  the  ani:  lals 
are  abundant.     The  price  varies  from  2  to  6  ^/B. 

The}'  are  usually  caught  in  snares  similar  to  those  set  for 
hares,  but  with  a  larger  springe  or  a  heavier  weight.  One  which 
we  passed  in  a  York  boat  on  the  Athabasca  River  stared  at  us 
until  we  were  within  fifty  yards  before  it  thought  best  to  make 
off.  They  occur  in  all  the  wooded  portions  of  this  region. 
They  have  been  killed  on  the  islands  in  the  delta  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie. 

The  flesh  is  white  and  is  considered  equal  to  that  of  the  hare 
for  food. 

Canis  lupus  ( Linn ) .  Wolf. 

Mu-hi-kun,  C.     Ti-ka,  D.  R.     Zo-tuk-i,  white;  Zo-rhi,  black,  L. 

Ti-ka,  S. 

They  are  not  killed  in  considerable  numbers  anywhere,  and 
the  number  of  skins  seen  was  too  small  to  make  any  study  of 
variation  of  color.  At  one  Slave  Lake  post,  only  one  gray 
wolfskin  has  been  received  during  the  last  five  years.  In  a 
band  of  half  a  dozen,  which  pursued  me  some  distance  in  the 
Barren  G/ound,  two  were  snow-white,  the  others  were  a  li  ght 
gray. 

While  in  the  Barren  Ground  we  heard  them  nightly,  howling 
about  some  musk-ox  carcass,  near  our  camp.  On  one  occasion 
three  of  our  party  left  their  guns  lying  beside  fallen  musk-ox 
which  they  were  to  skin  the  next  morning;  during  the  night 
the  wolves  ate  the  gun-covers.  One  of  our  dogs,  which  ven- 
tured too  far  from  camp,  was  devoured. 

During  the  winter  a  large  wolf  was  seen  at  Willow  River,  near 
Rae,  trying  to  entice  the  dogs  away  from  the  buildings  by  its 
gambols.  It  kept  whisi^  ng  about  as  if  in  play,  at  the  same 
time  working  farther  away,  followed  by  the  younger  dogs 
which  were  disposed  to  join  in  its  sport  and  would  soon  have 
fallen  easy  victims  had  not  the  marauder  been  discovered.^ 

^  "These  animals  which  are  here  large  and  formidable,  often  roamed  at 
16 


I 

V 


Vi 


'M. 


li 


i,if t   > 


,  "1      ? : 


^   1  If    ' 


St    ' 


242 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


Wolfskins  are  purchased  from  the  Indians  for  from  6to  10  MB. 
Wolves  are  found  throughout  this  region,  but  are  not  abun- 
dant in  any  portion  visited  except  in  the  Barren  Ground. 


Canis  vulpes  Linn. 
Red,  U-se-se-vvuk-is-u; 


Cross, 


Fox. 

Silver,  Su-ni-au-uk-i-su, 


Black,  Kus-ki-la-muk-e-su,  C. 
Red,  Nu-ki-te-kwo";  ^V^^.y,  Nu-ki-ak-len-i-tzu;  Silver,'^\x-V\-\v\- 

lan-di;  Black,  Nu-ki-te-zo",  D.  R. 

Red,  Ek-o-tso;  Cross,  Nin-u-lri;  Silver, ;  Black,  Ak-e-ri,  L. 

Red,  Nun -ki -de -90;     Ctoss,    Nun-ki-de-zo"-be-ke-te-co-de-ze; 

Silver,  Nun-ki-de-zo"-be-ge-le-ko-te-ge;    Black,  Nun-ki-de- 

zo",  S. 

While  I  saw  several  hundred  foxskins  during  my  journey,  I 
have  had  no  opportunity  to  study  either  specimens  or  the 
literature  concerning  them  sufficiently  to  feel  justified  in  plac- 
ing the  fox  in  a  separate  genus  from  those  admittedly  belong- 
ing to  the  genus  Canis.  Flower  and  Lydekker^  state  that, 
"The  best  cranial  character  by  which  the  different  members  of 
the  genus  {Canis)  can  be  distinguished  is  that  pointed  out  by 
Burmeister,  viz.,  that  in  the  animals  generally  called  dogs» 
wolves,  and  jackals  the  postorbital  process  of  the  frontal  bone 
is  regularly  smooth  and  convex  above  with  its  extremity  bent 
downwards  whereas  in  the  foxes  this  process  is  hollowed  above, 
with  its  outer  margin  (particularly  of  the  anterior  border)  some- 
what raised." 

I  have  seen  litters  of  young  containing  both  red  and  cross 
foxes.  The  natives  assured  me  that  they  had  found  red,  cross, 
and  silver  foxes  in  the  same  family.  The  skins  show  every 
possibleshadeof  intergradation  between  these  varieties.  Among 
about  fifty  silver  foxskins  which  I  saw  there  were  four  which 
were  practically  black. 

night  amongst  the  buildings  of  the  post."     Dawson,  Capt.  H.  P.,  Observa- 
tions of  the  International  Circumpolar  Expedition,  Rae,  p.  13. 

Franklin  gives  the  measurements  of  one  which  was  killed  at  Fort  Enter- 
prise, east  of  Rae,  during  the  winter  of  1S21-22.  It  was  4  feet,  4  inches 
long,  including  the  tail,  5  feet  and  4  inches;  height,  2  feet,  10  inches.  Nar- 
rative, p.  655. 

^An  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Mammals,  p.  547. 


)  Io^B. 

t  abun- 
d. 

Fox. 

•uk-i-su, 

u-ki-vvi- 

:-e-ri,  L. 
o-de-ze; 
n-ki-de- 

urney,  I 
;   or   the 
in  plac- 
belong- 
ite  that, 
libers  of 
1  out  by 
d  dogsi 
tal  bone 
ity  bent 
d  above, 
)  some- 

tid  cross 
d,  cross, 

)w  every 
Among 

ur  which 

Observa- 

ort  Enter- 
4  inches 
les.    Nar- 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


243 


Lahonton,'*  writing  two  hundred  years  ago,  states  that  the 
black  foxes  "  are  very  scarce  and  whosoever  catches  one  is  sure 
to  sell  it  tor  its  weight  in  gold."  The  Cree  name  for  the  silver 
fox  signifies  the  "  money  fox."  Rival  traders  have  so  impressed 
the  Ind'ans  with  the  value  of  the  black  and  silver  foxskins  that 
exorbitant  prices  are  demanded;  after  receiving  150  Mi,  the  for- 
tunate hunter  asks  a  sack  of  flour  (40  MB)  and  other  articles  of 
trade  as  a  "  present."  The  value  of  a  red  foxskin,  worth  i  IVB, 
is  sometimes  enhanced  by  the  use  of  soot  or  gunpowder  to  that 
of  a  black  fox;  such  skins  are  traded  at  night,  and  the  same 
trader  seldom  allows  "Johnny  Injun"  to  swindle  him  a  second 
time,  either  with  painted  foxes,  or  mink  with  marten  tails.  The 
cross  foxskins  are  worth  from  5  to  15  MB  in  the  country. 

The  several  varieties  are  all  taken  in  steel  traps  (No.  2), 
which  are  buried  in  the  snow,  with  scraps  of  frozen  fish,  meat, 
or  grease  strewn  about  them  for  bait.  Those  that  have  escaped 
by  leaving  a  foot  in  the  trap  are  exceeding  wary,  but  I  cannot 
agree  with  most  writers  in  extolling  the  sagacity  of  this  species 
which  often  allows  itself  to  be  caught  in  poorly  concealed 
traps.  They  are  frequently  killed  b)'  means  of  strjxhnine.  A 
red  fox  which  had  been  poisoned  near  Rae,  in  January,  1894, 
was  dragged  some  distance  by  another  fox,  then  buried  in  the 
snow  and  the  covering  well  tramped. 

They  are  certainly  decreasing  in  number,  though  they  still 
occur  in  all  parts  of  this  region.  They  are  found  along  the 
barren  Arctic  coast,  but  thej-  are  probably  not  common  in  the 
Barren  Ground.  The  Indians  do  not  bring  any  foxskins  to  trade 
from  that  quarter.  One  silver  fox  was  killed  on  Herschel 
Island  during  the  winter  of  '93-4,  while  forty  white  ones  were 
taken  there  that  season. 

One  skull,  Cedar  Lake,  and  a  complete  skeleton  from  Rae. 

Canis  lasfopus  Lijm.  White  Fox. 

Wa-pak-e-su,  C.     Et-sim-ba,  D.  R.     Ak-e-vi,  L.     Tal-i-yehn,  S. 

Traders  in  the  Mackenzie  valley  obtain  several  hundred  skins 
annually,  yet  they  secure  but  a  small  portion  of  the  great  catch 
made  along  the  Arctic  coast.  The  number  of  blue  foxes  re- 
ceived by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  Mackenzie  District 

'  Memoirs  of  North  America,  Vol.  I,  p.  235. 


in 


li 


m 


fcli. 


244 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


varied  from  none  in  1890,  to  thirteen  in  1887.  The  most  of  the 
arctic  foxskins  that  reach  the  markets  of  the  world  are  obtained 
from  the  Eskimos,  who  catch  them  in  traps  made  of  blocks  of 
ice  which  no  self-respecting  V.  fuhms  would  even  approach.^ 

A  young  specimen  (No.  10,885),  probably  of  this  variety, 
perhaps  two  weeks  old,  is  of  a  uniform  seal  brown  on  the  ba.jk 
and  flanks  and  grayish  white  beneath.  Another  individual 
(No.  10,886),  about  half  grown,  is  seal  brown  along  the  back, 
somewhat  darker  on  the  flanks  and  legs  where  there  is  an  ad- 
mixture of  white  hairs;  the  sides  are  a  deep  buff  becoming 
white  beneath.  This  animal  was  evidently  about  tw  assume 
the  adult  pelage  as  long  h^it-s  were  beginning  to  appear.  The 
two  specimens  were  playing  about  a  burrow  on  the  Arctic 
coast,  where  they  were  shot  from  the  canoe  as  we  passed. 
Taxidermists  should  note  the  fact  that  they  are  hazel  eyed.* 

The  natives  receive  about  a  dollar  each  for  prime  skins. 

They  are  more  abundant  than  the  other  species  of  foxes  in 
America  but  are  said  by  the  traders  to  be  decreasing  in  numbers. 

The  white  fox  is  widely  distributed  throughout  the  Arctic 
zone  being  frequently  met  with  on  isolated  islands  or  ice  floes. 
They  occur  along  the  norchern  border  of  the  territory  visited, 
their  southern  limit  of  distribution  being  the  Great  Slave  Lake. 

Three  specimens;  one  winter  skin  from  Herschel  Island,  and 
two  young,  Warren  Pomt,  July  5th. 

Thalarctos  maritimus  Lmn.  White  Bear. 

Sa-te-ki,  D.  R.  Chi-zi,  L. 

While  at  Herschel  Island  I  was  informed  by  the  Eskimos 
that  the  "nanook"  sometimes  gathered  in  scores  about  the  car- 
cass of  a  stranded  whale.  The  flesh  of  a  polar  bear,  killed  near 
the  buildings,  was  all  eaten  except  the  liver,  which  even  the 
dogs  avoided.*     The  skin  was  removed  entire,  that  is,  in  such 

1  Compare  Parry,  Second  Voyuge,^.  151.  "These  animals  were  found  to^ 
be  so  stupid  that  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  caught  a  second  time  in 
the  same  trap  after  they  had  escaped  from  the  ship."  Fifteen  were  caught 
in  four  hours  in  a  cask  with  a  sliding  door. 

•  "  Eyes  a  clear  light  hazel."     Lyon,  Capt.  G.  F.,  'Journal,  p.  74. 

'Compare  J.  C.  Ross:  "The  skin  pef  led  from  the  body  of  men  eating 
those  killed  at  Fury  Beach,  also  on  Pirry's  Expedition  the  men's  skin 
peeled  on  feet,  legs,  and  arms  after  living  several  days  wholly  on  two 
bears."  ''The  Eskimos  give  the  liver  to  the  dogs."  Appendix  to  A^arra- 
tive  of  Second  Voyage,  p.  7. 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


245 


;t  of  the 
(btained 
locks  of 
)ach.^ 
variety, 
he  ba^k 
dividual 
le  back, 
1  an  ad- 
scoming 

assume 
ir.  The 
;   Arctic 

passed, 
eyed.* 
cins. 

foxes  in 
lumbers, 
e  Arctic 
ice  floes. 
:  visited, 
ve  Lake, 
and,  and 

E  Bear. 

Eskimos 
the  car- 
ed near 

even  the 
in  such 

e  found  to. 
id  time  in 
ire  caught 


len  eating 
len's  skin 
y  on  two 
to  Narra- 


a  manner  that  it  could  be  used  as  a  natural  history  specimen, 
as  are  many  of  the  skins  now  taken  by  the  Eskimos.  These 
skin-  are  taken  to  San  Francisco  in  salt,  or  as  dried  skins  which 
have  been  stretched  and  scraped  to  remove  the  thick  lining  of 
fat.  TLv  natives  receive  from  5  to  15  dollars  in  trade  for  prime 
skins. 

The  polar  bear  occurs  along  the  northern  border  only  of  this 
region.  A  few  years  ago  one  penetrated  as  far  inland  as  Mc- 
Pherson  —  over  a  hundred  miles  —  robbing  meat  caches  and 
playing  havoc  among  the  dogs. 

A  skin  and  two  skulls  were  secured  at  Herschel  Island,  and 
a  large  skin  at  Cape  Tchaplin,  Siberia. 


Ursus  americanus  Pall. 
Sas,  D.  R. 


Soh,  L. 


Black  Bear. 
Sa-ten-di-cli,  S. 


I  met  several  hunters  who  had  seen  both  black  and  brown  cubs 
in  the  same  litter,  yet  they  recognize  the  fact  that  the  brown 
form  of  this  species  is  very  different  from  that  of  U.  horribilis. 
A  great  many  bear  stories  were  told,  but  in  one  instance  only  had 
a  wounded  animal  of  this  species  turned  upon  its  pursuer.  One 
clerk  declared  that  he  had  "killed  over  two  hundred  black 
bears  without  one  of  them  ever  showing  fight."  In  descending 
the  Mackenzie  we  approached  within  two  hundred  yards  of 
one  before  he  became  alarmed  and  made  off.  At  nearly  every 
trip  of  the  "  Wrigley"  a  bear  is  killed  along  shore  from  her 
deck,  these  wary  animals  not  yet  having  learned  the  danger- 
ous character  of  the  huge  shape  which  appears  so  seldom  and 
approaches  so  swiftly. 

Their  flesh  is  highly  prized  as  food  and  the  grease  serves  a 
variety  of  uses. 

In  the  northwest  they  are  caught  in  log  deadfalls  with  a 
heavy,  crushing  weight.  The  No.  5  steel  tr?.p  is  also  used.  In 
the  Slave  valley  they  are  sometimes  caught  in  snares.  The  line 
is  passed  under  a  root  so  that  when  the  springe  is  released  the 
bear  is  dragged  down  and  strangled.  They  are  being  exter- 
minated along  the  Saskatchewan  and  Peace  Rivers,  but  remain 
unchanged  beyond  the  Peace. 

About  fifty  skins  are  traded  annually  at  Resolution.  The 
price  paid  the  Indians  varies  from  20  dollars  in  cash  in  the 
Northwest  to  20  or  30  ^B  in  the  North. 


i 

■ 

1 

'  y 

i 
'hi 

'  'i,' 

'  k 

1-^^  if 


WW  ^ 


I!    •—  ! 


246 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


Mr.  John  Firth,  for  several  years  clerk  in  charge  at  La  Pierre's 
House,  states  that  there  were  no  black  bears  in  that  vicinity. 
During  the  ten  months  spent  at  Rae  only  three  were  killed 
within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles  of  the  fort.  They  are  frequently 
seen  in  descending  the  Athabasca  River  and  along  the  Macken- 
zie below  Wrigley.     They  do  not  occur  in  the  Barren  Ground. 


Claw  of  Polar  Bear. 
Tkalarctos  marttimus. 


Ursus  horribilis  Ord. 


Claw  of  Grizzly  Bear. 
Ursus  horribilis. 


Grizzly  Bear. 


The  Loucheux  look  upon  the  grizzly  with  dread  and  often 
fire  repeatedly  at  the  lifeless  carcass,  as  experience  has  shown 
them  that  the  grizzly  sometimes  recovers  from  the  shock  and 
attacks  the  unwary  hunter.  After  killing  one  of  this  species, 
while  traversing  the  delta  of  the  Mackenzie,  I  noticed  that  our 
Loucheux  canoemen  seemed  to  have  a  much  greater  respect 
for  me.i  This  specimen  weighed  about  seven  hundred  pounds 
and  its  specific  gravity  was  such  that  it  required  considerable 
effort  to  raise  the  carcass  to  the  surface  after  dragging  it  across 
the  river. 

Handsome  silver-tipped  robes  are  brought  to  the  trader  at 
McPherson.  Another  variety,  according  to  Mr.  Joseph  Hodg- 
son, "varies  in  color  from  reddish  brown  to  yellcwish  white; 
this  is  not  the  Barren  Ground  bear  {U.  rickardsoni  Reid) ,  the 
skins  of  which  are  brought  to  us  by  the  natives  living  east  of 
the  Mackenzie  Delta." 

I  saw  at  least  a  hundred  skins  from  the  coast  between  Bath- 
urst  Inlet  and  Cape  Tchaplin,  Siberia,  which  exhibited  every 

^  See  p.  140,  anie. 


\ 


' 


NATURAL    HISTORY.-MAMMALS 


247 


Pierre's 
/icinity. 
s  killed 
quently 
/lacken- 
jrround. 


Y  Bear. 

nd  often 

IS  shown 

lock  and 

species, 

that  our 

respect 

pounds 

iderable 

it  across 

rader  at 
Hodg- 

h  white; 

eid),  the 
east  of 

en  Bath- 
ed every 


\ 


' 


variety  of  coloration  by  the  admixture  of  black,  white,  and 
brown.  The  grizzly  bear  is  not  decreasing  in  numberr  '  the 
northern  ranges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  true  grizzly  is 
in  this  region  found  only  along  its  western  border. 

1  did  not  hear  of  their  being  caught  in  traps.  The  natives 
of  the  interior  kill  them  with  muzzle-loading  smooth-bores. 
The  flesh  is  not  eaten.  The  skin  is  sold  for  about  the  same 
price  as  is  that  of  the  black  bear. 

One  specimen,  obtained  in  the  Mackenzie  Delta. 


Lepus  timidus  Linn. 


Arctic  Hare. 


Ka-cho,  D.  R. 


On  the  26th  of  Maich,  1894,  an  arctic  hare  was  killed  near 
our  camps,  situated  a  hundred  and  fiftj'  miles  northeast  of  Rae, 
and  brought  to  me  as  a  specimen  rare  for  that  region.  It  was 
conspicuously  larger  and  heavier  than  the  northern  hare,  L.  am- 
ericamis,  with  softer,  thicker  pelage.  The  fur  of  this  specimen 
(Nc.  11,034),  which  was  taken  in  March,  is  pure  white  through- 
out, except  the  tips  of  the  ears  which  are  deep  black  in  color  for 
the  distance  of  J4  inch.  There  is  a  much  greater  proportion 
of  under  fur  to  outer  hair  than  in  L.  amcricannSy  and  it  is  white 
to  the  base.i  The  ears  equal  the  head  in  length — 4^^  inches. 
The  hind  feet  are  6>^  inches  in  length  and  densely  furred  over 
the  entire  surface  to  the  depth  of  i  inch.  The  nails  of  the 
middle  toes  are  ^  of  an  inch,  in  length,  all  are  horn-colored 
along  the  convex  median  line,  reddish  brown  on  the  basal  half 
and  white  on  remainder  of  sides.     They  are  grooved  beneath. 

The  Indians  assured  me  that  the  arctic  hare  was  common  in 
the  Barren  Ground,  yet  neither  I  nor  any  other  member  of  our 
party  discovered  a  trace  of  them  during  twenty-two  days  which 
we  spent  in  that  region.  Richardson  gave  as  their  habitat  the 
clumps  of  spruce-fir  along  the  border  of  the  Barren  Ground. 
They  occur  along  the  upper  Yukon,  yet,  strange  to  say,  are  quite 
unknown  about  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie,  and  along  the 
timber  line  west  of  it.  Th-y  were  rarely  seen  south  of  the 
Churchill  a  hundred  years  ago,  but  were  very  common  north 
of  that  river.*  Their  footprints  on  the  snow  of  the  frozen  sea 

>  "  Fur  resembles  swan's  down  rather  than  hair."     Lyon,  journal,  p.  69. 
•  Hearne,  journey,  p.  382. 


,1 


248 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


-M  r 


hi    ■ 

li?!  ; 


■  ■( 


IM^' 


■  '■'  .  f 
1^  J:   ; 


1-  »       ^  , 


have  been  seen  twenty  miles  north  of  Grinnell  Land  in  latitude 
83°  10'  N.i 

One  specimen;  Rae,  March  20th,  1894. 

Lepus  americanus  Erx.  Varying  Hare. 

Wa-pus,  C.  Ka,  D.  R.  Ke,  L.  Ka,  S. 

The  northern  hare  makes  a  complete  change  of  pelage  in 
winter  throughout  this  region.  Specimens  from  the  Saskatche- 
wan do  not  differ  from  others  taken  at  Rae.  As  it  is  a  well 
known  species,  no  detailed  description  need  be  given.  The 
rabbit,  as  it  is  called,  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  north,  both  white  and  red.  When  the  fishery 
fails,  or  the  "deer"  migrate  by  a  different  route,  the  only 
resource  is  the  rabbit  snare  to  save  them  from  starvation.  The 
northern  hare  is  subject  to  periodic  epidemics  which  kill  im- 
mense numbers  of  them.  They  seemed  equally  common  during 
the  winters  of  1892-3  and  1893-4;  the  natives  at  different  posts 
gave  different  dates  as  the  year  of  greatest  abundance,  so  that 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  they  do  not  increase  and  decrease 
simultaneously  over  the  whole  region,  but  that  it  is  by  periods 
of  seven  years  each  all  seemed  agreed."^ 

I  was  in  the  bush  almost  every  day,  yet  in  summer  I  saw 
very  few  hares.  At  the  time  of  their  autumnal  change  of  color, 
they  are  very  conspicuous  for  a  few  days  before  the  snow  ap- 
pears, though  the  transformation  is  very  quickly  accomplished.' 

They  are  caught  in  snares  made  from"jackfish  twine."  The 
noose  is  set  across  their  run  ways,  the  upper  end  of  the  twine 
being  attached  to  a  springe  or  a  pole  used  as  a  weight  which  is 
balanced  over  a  convenient  limb  for  a  fulcrum  and  held  down 
by  passing  the  twine  under  a  prostrate  young  pine  which  also 
serves  to  keep  the  animal  in  the  path.  As  soon  as  the  noose 
pulls  enough  to  turn  down  the  stick  which  is  tied  in  the  twine 
it  is  tripped  and  the  hare  is  caught  either  by  the  neck  or  hind 
foot,  and  lifted  four  or  five  feet  in  the  air. 

The  skin  of  the  northern  hare,  while  it  has  no  commercial 

I  Fielden,  Zoologist,  Vol.  I,  3rd  Series,  p.  353. 

»  They  are  said,  by  Richardson,  to  die  after  a  wet  summer.  Parr/s  Second 
Voyage,  p.  326. 

■  See  J.  A.  Allen,  On  the  Seasonal  Change  of  Color  in  the  Varying  Hare. 
Bull.  Am.  Museum  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  VI,  p.  107-28. 


NATURAL    HISTORY.— MAMMALS 


249 


value,  is  of  great  service  to  the  natives.  They  cut  the  skins 
into  strips  and  weave  them  into  robes  which  are  said  to  be  the 
warmest  made.  The  Slaveys,  Trout  Lake,  and  other  Indians, 
south  and  west  of  the  reindeer  country,  weave  capotes  of  the 
skins.  I  noticed  that  nearly  every  man,  woman,  and  child  at 
Hay  River  had  such  a  garment.  The  traders  buy  hares  for  the 
flesh  at  six  cents  each. 

They  occur  throughout  the  wooded  portion  of  this  region 
and  among  the  willow-fringed  islands  in  the  delta  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie beyond  the  limit  of  forest  growth. 

Twelve  specimens  were  secured;  eight  at  Grand  Rapids,  two 
at  Chippewyan  in  summer  pelage,  and  two  at  Rae. 

Sciunis  hudsonlus  Pallas.  Red  Squirrel. 

An-Ik-wai-chas,  C.       Tlo,  D.  R.      Clo,  S.       Tltik,  L. 

Common  throughout  the  wooded  country,  seen  at  all  seasons. 
Their  loud  scolding  chatter  often  proved  annoying  when  I  was 
in  pursuit  of  wary  birds. 

Twelve  specimens  were  secured  at  Grand  Rapids. 

Sciuropterus  volucella  sabrinus  {Shaw).        Flying  Squirrel. 

Tswag  u-nik-wai-chas.  C. 

A  single  specimen  was  obtained  at  Grand  Rapids,  where  they 
are  very  rare. 

lamias  asiaticus  {Gmelm)  Allen.  Chipmunk. 

Chas-se-c6vv-e-pls-kus,  C. 

Two  specimens  were  secured  at  Grand  Rapids,  where  they 
are  not  uncommon. 


Spermophilus  empetra 


Ground  Squirrel. 


Ground  squirrels  or  "sififleux"  as  they  are  known  to  the 
Company's  people,  are  a  characteristic  feature  of  the  barren 
portions  of  Arctic  America.  In  summer  the  traveler  is  greeted 
from  every  dry  knoll  and  hilltop  by  their  pert  whistle.  The 
skins  are  used  for  clothing  by  the  natives. 

Three  specimens  were  secured  at  Herschel  Island. 


250  EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 

Peromyscus  leucopus  articus ?       White-footed  Mouse. 

A  single  specimen  from  Rae. 

Another  woolly  mouse  from  the  same  locality  belongs  to  the 
genus  Microtiis.  The  collection  also  contains  a  common  house 
mouse  {Mtis  musciilus)  from  Grand  Rapids,  where  they  were 
abundant  notwithstanding  the  isolated  situation  of  the  post  and 
the  apparently  extremely  unfavorable  habitat. 


«! 


W: 


M^^ 

" 


'II  ] 


r: 


*  ■ 


1 


Fiber  zibethicus  {Linn.). 

Wuh-chusk,  C.         Dzo",  D.  R. 


Dzu",  L. 


MUSKRAT. 

Te-kS-1,  S. 


The  muskrat  does  not  differ  materially  in  color  as  we  advance 
northward,  though  there  are  localities  where  melanistic  forms 
are  said  to  occur  in  considerable  numbers,  as  along  the  Sas- 
katchewan River  below  Prince  Albert.  Nearly  every  post  re- 
ceives an  occasional  albino,  for  which  a  "present"  is  always 
expected. 

The  muskrat  finds  in  the  North  an  environment  perfectly 
adapted  to  its  aquatic  habits,  during  a  portion  of  the  year  at 
least.  They  do  not  build  winter  houses  as  extensively  as  those 
farther  south,  but  usually  burrow  in  the  banks  of  streams  and 
ponds;  they  prefer  the  streams  to  the  swamps,  and  are  espe- 
cially abundant  .i  the  deltas  of  the  large  rivers,  where  they 
may  be  seen  by  day,  but  at  night  they  fairly  swarm  in  the 
smaller  channels.  In  traveling  there  by  canoe  one  notices  the 
blackish  muzzles  moving  about,  followed  by  long,  ever-widen- 
ing ripples;  every  few  moments  there  is  a  startling  plunge  at 
the  bow  of  the  canoe.  The  Indians  try  to  entice  the  rats  to- 
ward them  by  a  peculiar  teasing,  "kissing"  sound. 

They  have  little  commercial  value,  yet,  owing  to  their  num- 
bers they  are  the  main  dependence  of  the  Crees  on  some  of  the 
Saskatchewan  reserves.  Over  twenty  thousand  skins  are  some- 
times received  during  one  winter  at  a  single  station.  In  the 
month  of  February,  1893,  the  Cedar  Lake  Indians  were  killing 
them  at  the  rate  of  six  hundred  a  day.  A  whole  family  would 
engage  in  the  slaughter,  stationing  the  wife  and  children,  armed 
with  spears,  at  the  air-holes;  the  hunter  would  frighten  the  rats 
out  of  the  house  to  be  killed  as  soon  as  they  rose  to  breathe. 
Later  in  the  spring,  hundreds  were  shot  as  they  swam  about  in 


„»,..**rtii^.-,.. 


NATURAL   HISTORY—MAMMALS 


«5x 


doUSE. 

to  the 

house 

,'  were 

)st  and 


ISKRAT. 

-1,  S. 

dvance 
;  forms 
he  Sas- 
Dost  re- 
always 

irfectly 
year  at 
IS  those 
ms  and 
e  espe- 
re  they 

in  the 
ices  the 

widen- 
unge  at 
rats  to- 

r  num- 
e  of  the 
e  some- 
In  the 
killing 
J  would 
,  armed 
the  rats 
reathe. 
bout  in 


the  water  on  the  overflowed  ice.  A  m^tis — old  Antoine  Char- 
tier — at  Grand  Rapids  told  me  that  he  had  secured  sixty  in  a 
day  in  this  way  and  that  others  had  killed  over  a  hundred. 
Those  which  are  trapped  of  course  furnish  better  skins  than 
those  which  are  mutilated  by  spears  or  shot. 

They  are  worth  from  two  to  four  cents  apiece  in  the  country. 
In  the  far  North  the  traders  discourage  their  capture  as  the 
cost  of  transportation  exceeds  the  profits  when  the  market 
price  is  low. 

Muskrats  are  a  common  article  of  food  among  the  natives, 
and  when  fat  are  not  to  be  despised. 

They  are  found  as  far  north  as  the  mouth  of  the  Mackenzie. 
They  have  been  seen,  in  the  mountains  west  of  McPherson, 
3,000  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

Four  specimens;  one  from  Grand  Rapids,  two  from  Chip- 
pew_,'an,  and  an  albino  from  Simpson. 


Castor  canadensis  Knhl. 


Beaver. 


U-misk,  C.  Tsa,  D.  R.  Tse,  L.  Tsa,  S. 

During  the  six  months  which  I  spent  at  Grand  Rapids,  only 
one  beaverskin  was  brought  to  the  post,  and  that  came  from  a 
distance.  No  trace  of  them  is  to  be  found  within  several  miles 
of  the  fort.  Farther  up  the  river  a  small  annual  catch  is  made 
but  the  industrious  and  populous  communities,  which  in  the 
past  so  materially  modified  the  appearance  of  the  country,  are 
gone.  The  broken,  grass-grov/n  earthworks  of  the  beaver 
meadows  are  sad  reminders  of  our  accountability  for  the  de- 
struction of  these  intelligent  animals. 

Whole  families  of  albino  beavers  have  been  seen  in  the  Pei  ce 
River  Region  (Mackinlay). 

Mr.  James  Hislop  trapped  a  beaver  near  Athabasca  Landing 
so  large  that  it  attracted  his  attention  though  he  yearly  handled 
hundreds  of  skins.  Unfortunately  he  took  but  one  measure- 
ment, noting  that  the  tail  was  7  inches  in  width;  beavers  weigh- 
ing 40  to  50  pounds  measure  4  or  5  inches  across  the  the  tail. 
The  heaviest  recorded  weight  is  60  pounds.^ 

Beaver  tails  are  sometimes  used  by  the  white  trappers  as  bait 
for  their  fox  traps. 

1  Morgan,  L.  H.,  The  American  Beaver  and  his  Works,  p.  23. 


Ml 


-^- 


252 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


;  1 


Fifteen  years  ago  the  York  boats,  which  carried  the  Com- 
pany's freight  on  Peace  River,  depended  upon  the  beavers  killed 
en  route  for  provision,  now  they  are  so  rare  that  only  occasional 
beavertails  reach  the  posts  as  presents  from  the  Indians.  The 
beaverskin  was  originally  the  standard  in  bartering  with  the 
Indians,* 
Five  to  eight  ]VB  are  paid  for  a  beaverskin  at  the  present  time- 
The  beaver  occurs  throughout  the  wooded  portions  of  this 
region,  excepting  those  localities  where  it  has  been  recently 
exterminated.  They  are  not  known  to  occur  in  the  Barren 
Ground. 

1  See  p.  59,  ante. 


P"'l'iii 


Com- 
5  killed 
asional 
.  The 
ith  the 

it  time- 

of  this 

ecently 

Barren 


■ 


BIRDS 

OWING  to  the  difficulties  of  northern  transportation,  goose, 
swan,  and  other  bulky  skins  were  not  saved.  All  the 
specimens  here  enumerated  were  made  up  by  the  writer,  except 
eight  skins  which  are  the  gift  of  Mrs.  W.  C.  King,  of  Cedar 
Lake,  and  one  specimen  from  Rae.  With  the  exception  of  the 
Crow  Nest  Pass  collection,  all  were  dried  before  being  packed, 
and  reached  Iowa  City  in  excellent  condition.  A  number  of 
crania,  sterna,  and  internal  organs  were  preserved. 

The  Grand  Rapids  specimens  were  obtained  between  August 
30th,  1892,  and  February  20th,  1893.  Together  with  those  col- 
lected in  189P  the  list  of  birds  to  be  found  at  that  post  is  be- 
lieved to  be  fairly  complete.  Cedar  Lake  is  certainly  a  much 
better  station  for  an  ornithologist. 

Macleod  is  on  the  border  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  and, 
while  it  is  not  a  desirable  location,  would  be  a  good  starting 
point  from  which  to  enter  the  Crow  Nest  Pass.  The  prairie 
region,  which  contains  many  lakes,  between  Winnipeg  and 
Macleod  is  the  great  breeding  ground  of  the  smaller  water 
birds  as  well  as  of  Canada  geese  and  many  of  the  ducks.  North 
of  this,  toward  the  North  Saskatchewan,  a  scattered  growth  of 
poplars,  alders,  and  other  small  deciduous  trees,  offers  a  bar- 
rier to  the  further  northward  movement  of  many  of  the  land 
birds.  Beyond  the  Saskatchewan  the  country  east  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie system  is  nearly  uniform  in  its  nature,  consisting  of  low 
Archaean  hills  scantily  covered  with  coniferous  forests,  inter- 
spersed with  muskegs  and  lakes. 

The  Chippewyan  collection  is  a  fairly  representative  one  for 
the  month,  May  15-June  15.  I  stationed  myself  on  the  most 
conspicuous  island  in  the  midst  of  the  large  delta-plain  at  the 
western  end  of  Lake  Athabasca,  where    I  could  devote  my 

1  See  report  by  Professor  C.  C.  Nutting,  in  Vol.  II,  No.  3,  of  the  Nat. 
Hist.  Bull,  of  the  State  Univ.  of  Iowa. 


253 


fl. 


254 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR   NORTH 


.1-]     , 


^:! 


It  I 


'H 


5a 


f 


attention  to  both  land  and  water  birds.  Such  small  birds  as 
crossed  the  lake  might  be  expected  to  halt  at  that  point  which 
was  the  first  high  ground  on  the  north  shore.  Any  species 
recorded  from  that  place  might  reasonably  be  expected  to  be 
found  as  far  northward  as  the  Great  Slave  Lake. 

Near  Smith  a  well  known  breeding  place  of  the  white  peli- 
can is  to  be  found  in  a  picturesque  spot  among  the  rapids  of 
the  Slave  River. 

The  Great  Slave  Lake  presents  the  most  formidable  barrier 
to  the  passage  of  the  smaller  land  birds  that  is  to  be  found  in 
the  whole  county.  North  of  the  lake  the  observer  is  impressed 
with  the  change  in  plant  and  animal  life.  It  was  my  privilege 
to  travel  along  a  considerable  portion  of  the  north  and  south 
shores  both  in  summer  and  in  winter.  There  are  very  few 
species  of  birds  to  be  found  north  of  the  lake  in  winter;  even 
in  summer,  birds  are  not  abundant  around  the  lake. 

The  delta  of  the  Mackenzie  is  by  far  the  best  locality  in  this 
entire  territory  for  the  collecting  naturalist.  Game  birds  are 
abundant  so  that  the  food  problem,  which  becomes  an  impor- 
tant one  in  that  inaccessible  region,  is  easily  solved.  Many 
western  species  occur  there.  I  very  much  regretted  the  neces- 
sity which  compelled  me  to  pass  specimens  which  were  new  to 
me,  and  I  was  disappointed  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  of  them 
at  Herschel  Island.  Only  water  birds  or  a  few  species  pecu- 
liar to  barrens  are  to  be  found  at  that  station.  In  July  and 
August  the  cacawees  may  be  seen  in  enormous  flocks  along 
that  coast;  the  brown  crane  breeds  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mac- 
kenzie; loons  are  common  all  along  the  coast.  Gulls  and 
jaegars  are  not  abundant. 

2.     Colymbus  holboellii  {Reinh.).  Holbcell's  Grebe. 

One  specimen;  Rae,  August  22.     Not  uncommon. 

4.    Colymbus  nigricollis  californicus  {Heerm.). 

American  Eared  Grebe. 
One  specimen;  Rae,  August  22. 

7.    Urinator  imber  \Gun?i.).  Loon. 

One  specimen,  $;  Prospect  Lake,  Rae,  July  29.  Common 
about  the  lakes  which  contain  fish  throughout  this  entire  region. 


NATURAL    HISTORY— BIRDS 


255 


>irds  as 
t  which 
species 
:d  to  be 

ite  peli- 
ipids  of 

:  barrier 
ound  in 
ipressed 
irivilege 
d  south 
ery  few 
er;  even 

y  in  this 

)irds  are 

n  impor- 

.     Many 

le  neces- 

e  new  to 

:  of  them 

es  pecu- 

uly  and 

cs  along 

he  Mac- 

ulls  and 


Grebe. 


The  natives  imitate  its  strident  note,  but  are  more  successful 
in  bringing  it  within  gunshot  by  flashing  some  white  object  in 
the  sunlight.  I  have  seen  the  Indians  cook  this  bird,  but  one 
mouthful  was  too  much  for  them. 

II.     Urinator  lumme  {Gnnn.).  Red-throated  Loon. 

One  specimen;  King  Point,  July  5.  Abundant  along  that 
portion  of  the  Arctic  coast  which  I  passed  in  my  canoe — be- 
tween the  Mackenzie  and  Herschel  Island.  The  red-throated 
loon  is  not  as  wary  as  the  preceding;  its  flesh  is  tolerably  pal- 
atable. 

37.  Stercorarius  parasiticus  {Litm.).  Parae;itic  Jaeger. 

One  specimen;  an  egg  from  the  coast,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Mackenzie,  June  27.  The  nest  was  simply  a  level  bit  of  dry 
moss  on  the  tundra,  a  few  yards  from  the  water's  edge,  and 
contained  but  one  egg.  The  parent  bird,  which  tried  to  drive 
me  away  from  the  locality,  was  also  collected,  but  the  skin 
was  unfortunately  lost  in  traveling  to  Herschel  Island. 

38.  Stercorarius  longicaudus  Vicill.        Long-tailed  Jaeger. 

This  species  is  said  to  pass  Rae  in  considerable  numbers  dur- 
ing the  spring  migratory  season. 

A  specimen,  which  had  been  killed  during  the  spring  of  1893, 
was  obtained  from  a  young  Indian  at  the  station.  He  had 
mounted  it  fairl}-  well  upon  a  board  and  had  inserted  shoe  but- 
tons for  eyes. 


42.     Larus  glauCUS  Briinn. 
One  specimen,  ?;  Herschel  Island,  August  4. 


Glaucus  Gull. 


Grebe. 


5 1  A.  Larus  argentatus  smithsonianus  Coues. 

American  Herring  Gull. 
Two  specimens;  Rae,  July  21;  one  3,  one  $. 


Loon. 

Ilommon 
e  region. 


54.    Larus  delawarensis  Ord.  Ring-billed  Gull. 

Ki-ack,  C. 
Eight  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  five  juv;  Chippewyan,  two 
6,  one  ?;  Rae,  one  juv.     Commonest  of  the  gulls,  not  abundant 


1^ 


■•i'       'I 


t 


256 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


at  Chippevvyan,  said  to  breed  on  a  small  island  twenty  miles 
east  of  the  post.  I  found  these  gulls  abundant  and  very  fat  at 
Big  Slavey  Point,  May  12,  the  snow  still  deep, 

70.    Sterna  hirundO  Lvm.  Common  Tern. 

Two  specimens,  $;  Grand  Rapids,  September  12.     Abundant 
about  Lake  Winnipeg  and  Cedar  Lake,  less  common  northward. 

86c.  Fulmar  glacialis  rodgersii  (Cass.).     Rodgers's  Fulmar. 

One  specimen;  at  sea,  latitude  7l°5o'N.,  northwest  of  Herald 
Island,  September  26. 

96.    Puffinis  tenuirostris  (Temm.). 

Slender-billed  Shearw.ater. 

One  specimen,  which  alighted  upon  the  deck  of  our  vessel, 

while  crossing  BehringSea.    This  bird  seemed  to  be  uninjured, 

yet  could  or  would  not  rise  to  escape  before  I  caught  it  with 

my  hands. 


m  ' 


li  ■  „ 


If 


125.    Pelecanus  erythrorhynchos  Gmel. 

American  White  Pelican. 

Ten  specimens;  Mountain  Rapids,  Slave  River,  July  3;  three 
young  birds  at  different  stages  of  development  were  selected 
from  the  many  score  that  were  on  an  island  at  the  head  of  the 
rapids.  Seven  eggs  have  survived  the  vicissitudes  of  northern 
travel.  White  pelicans  are  common  at  Grand  Rapids,  and  at  a 
few  other  points  about  Lake  Winnipeg.  *  The  Mountain  Por- 
tage is  the  most  northerly  breeding  place  of  which  I  have  any 
knowledge.  They  are  rarely  seen  as  far  north  as  the  Great 
Slave  Lake. 

129.    Merganser  americanus  (Cass.).      American  Merganser. 

Four  specimens,  one  ?,  three  juv.;  Rae,  August  22.  Not  un- 
common, breeding. 

132.    Anas  boschas  Lm?t.  Mallard.     "Stock  Duck." 

Ai-in-i-sip,  C. 
Three  specimens;  one  from  Cedar  Lake,  $,  two  taken  at  Chip- 
pewyan,  May  20,  $.     Abundant  during  the  migratory  season  at 

1  See  p.  I,  ante. 


■ 


k 


NATURAL    HISTORY.— BIRDS 


257 


y  miles 
y  fat  at 


«  Tern. 

oundant 
thward. 

Fulmar. 
Herald 


RWATER. 

r  vessel, 
linjured, 
t  it  with 


Pelican. 

3;  three 
selected 
d  of  the 
orthern 
and  at  a 
ain  Por- 
lave  any 
le  Great 


IGANSER. 

Not  un- 

Duck." 

at  Chip- 
eason  at 


such  feeding  grounds  as  the  deltas  of  the  Saskatchewan  (Cedar 
Lake),  Athabasca,  Slave,  and  Mackenzie  Rivers.  Rare  along 
the  Northern  Arm  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake.  Ihis  species  is 
systematically  hunted  in  the  fall  and  "hung"  for  winter  use  at 
many  of  the  Company's  posts. 

136.    Anas  penelope  Linn.  Widgeon. 

Two  specimens;  one  from  Grand  Rapids,  September  i;  one  ?, 
Rae,  August  22. 


137.    Anas  americana  Gmel. 


Baldpate. 


Two  specimens;  Cedar  Lake;  Chippewyan,  6,  May  23.  Only 
one  seen  at  the  latter  station  during  the  month  spent  there. 

139.    Anas  carolinensis  Gmel.  Green-winged  Teal. 

Two  specimens;  6  and  $,  Chippewyan,  May  2C  ^  x 

142.  Spatula  clypeata  {Lijin.).  Shoveller. 

One  specimen,  3;  Chippewyan,  June  7.  Not  uncommon, 
breeding. 

143.  Dafila  acuta  {Linn.).  Pintail. 

Two  specimens;  Chippewyan,  5,  May  18 — June  3.  Perhaps 
second  to  the  mallard  in  value  for  food;  not  so  wary.  Com- 
mon at  Chippewyan,  breeding. 

149.  Aythya  afQnls  {Eyt.).  Lesser  Scaup  Duck. 

Six  specimens;  two  from  Chippewyan,  June  5;  five,  one  $, 
three  juv.,  Rae,  August  i.  Common  among  the  islands  of  the 
north  shore  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  where  they  are  "little 
black  ducks,"  breeding.     Rare  at  Chippewyan. 

150.  Athya  coUaris  {Donov.).  Ring-necked  Duck. 
One  specimen;  Chippewyan,  May  22.    No  others  seen  there. 


155.    Histrionicus  histrionicus  {Linn.) 
One  specimen,  ?;  Rae,  July  27. 

17 


Harlequin  Duck. 


i;1 


' .  I 


ii 
.« 

w. 


ii 


258 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 

Surf  Scoter. 


166.  Odemia  persplcillata  (Linn.). 
One  specimen,  ?;  Rae,  July  27. 

167.  Erismatura  nibida  {Wi/s.). 
Two  specimens;  Cedar  Lake. 

168.  Nomonyx  domincus  (Lhm.). 
One  specimen;  Cedar  Lake. 


Ruddy  Duck. 


Masked  Duck. 


Canada  Goose. 


172.    Branta  canadensis  (Linn.). 

1 72A.  Branta  canadensis  hutchinsii  ( Sw.  &  Rich. ) . 

Ka,  D.  R.  HuTCHiNs's  Goose. 

The  "gray  goose"  is  common  throughout  this  region,  at  least 
during  the  migratory  season,  and  furnishes  food  in  the  spring 
for  many  natives.  The  arrival  of  the  first  goose  in  the  spring 
is  a  matter  of  record  at  every  post.  The  Indian  bringing  the 
first  specimen  of  the  season  to  the  station  is  rewarded  with  a 
handsome  "  present,"  the  engaged  servant  who  first  kills  a  goose 
also  receives  a  gratuity  amounting  to  several  skins  in  value. 
The  average  date  of  arrival  of  the  geese  at  Simpson  for  a  period 
of  thirteen  years  is  April  28th.    The  record  is  as  follows. 


1881 April  30 

1882 April  29 

1883 April  26 

1884 April  27 

1885, April  25 

1886 May  8 

1887 April  26 


1888 May  3 

1889, April  23 

1890, April  30 

1891, 

1892, April  34 

1893 May  8 

1894 May  4 


Geese  are  purchased  at  the  rate  of  two  for  i  ^B.  Large  num- 
bers are  salted  for  use  at  the  stations.  The  snow  geese  are 
killed  by  thousands  at  Chippewyan.  A  much  smaller  number 
than  formerly  is  obtained  at  Big  Island,  a  famous  "goose 
ground,"  and  they  are  surely  passing  away. 

223.    Phalaropus  lobatus  (Linn.).  Northern  Phalarope. 

One  specimen,  $;  Herschel  Island,  July  14.  Common  on  the 
tundra. 

233.    Micropalma  hlmantopus  {Bomp.).  Stilt  Sandpiper. 

Two  specimens,  5;  Chippewyan,  June  6-12.     Passing  north- 


id. 


5C0TER. 


Duck. 


)  Duck. 


Goose. 

Goose. 

,  at  least 
e  spring 
e  spring 
jing  the 
d  with  a 
a  goose 
n  value, 
a  period 
vs. 

Aay  z 
pril  23 
Lpril  30 

ipril  34 
lay  8 
lay  4 

^e  num- 
ese  are 
number 
goose 


LAROPE. 

on  the 

DPIPER. 

north- 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— BIRDS 


259 


ward  in  considerable  numbers  during  the  month  of  June.  Called 
by  a  Cree  visitor — muc-e-ow  se-ge-mes — a  (big  mosquito). 

235.    Trins^a  maritima  BrUtm.  Pur:  le  Sandpiper. 

Ten  specimens;  Chippewyan,  two  3,  two  $,  two  ?;  May  30- 
June  8;  Herschel  Island,  three  3,  one  ?;  July  13-August  14. 
Abundant  at  both  stations. 

241.    Tringabairdii  (Cb7/^j).  Baird's  Sandpiper. 

Three  specimens,  one  6,  two  ?;  Chippewyan,  May  25-June  i. 
Common. 

246,    Ereunetes  pusillus  {Limi.).        Semipalmated  Sandpiper. 

Eleven  specimens;  Chippewyan,  four  3,  two  ?,  two  ?;  June 
2-12;  Herschel  Island,  one  $,  two  ?;  June  14-August  2. 


248.    Calldris  arenaria  ( Lim. ) . 

One  specimen,  ?;  Chippewy?.n,  June  7. 


Sanderling. 


262.  Tryngltes  subruncollis  {Vieill.). 

Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

One  specimen,  Herschel  Island,  August  13. 

263.  Actitis  macularia  {Linn.).  Spotted  Sandpiper. 

Eight  specimens;  Chippewyan,  three  ?;  May  23-June  9.  Four 
eggs  and  a  nest  were  collected,  the  nest  was  a  depression  in 
the  sand,  scantily  lined  with  grass.  This  is  the  commonest 
shore  bird  of  the  north,  it  is  to  be  found  along  along  all  shelv- 
ing beaches. 

270.    Charadrius  squatarola  (Linn.).     Black-bellied  Plover. 
One  specimen,  $;  Chippewyan,  June  8.     Not  common. 

272.    Charadrius  dominicus  Mu//.    American  Golden  Plover. 

Two  specimens;  Chippewyan,  one  5;  June  i;  Herschel  Island, 
August  13.  A  few  flocks  halt  at  Athabasca  to  feed  in  the 
deltas.  Not  uncommon  at  Herschel  Island  where  they  first 
arrived  from  the  northward  on  the  13th  of  August. 


.1 


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M 

:,      ',1 

lif'i 

1 

1 

M 

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r  1 

260 


EXPLORATIONS   IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


274.    Aegialitis  semipalmata  Bonap.       Semipalmated  Plover. 
Three  specimens,  one  <?,  one  ?,  one  ?;  Chippewyan,  June  2- 


12.     Not  common. 


298, 


Canada  Grouse. 


v>  ■ 


Dendragapus  canadensis  {Linn.). 

Mes-tik-o-pen-e-o,  C. 

Ten  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  two  5,  seven  juv.;  September 
5-December  3;  Chippewyan,  one  ?;  May  29.  Common  at 
Grand  Rapids. 

300A.  Bonasa  umbellus  togata  {Linn.). 

Pa-pas-ku,  C.     Canadian  Ruffed  Grouse. 
Eight  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  five  (?,  one  ?,  two  — ;  Sep- 
tember lo-December  29;  Chippewyan,  May  18.      During  our 
boat  voyage  down  the  Athabasca,  we  heard  the  drumming  of 
these  birds  at  all  hours  of  the  night. 

300B.  Bonasa  umbellus  umbelloides  {Dougl.)  Gray. 

Ruffed  Grouse. 
One  specimen,  5;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  12. 

301.    Lagopus  lagopus  (Zwm.).  Willow  Ptarmigan. 

Wa-pen-e-o,  C. 

Twenty-two  specimens;  fifteen  from  Grand  Rapids,  two  6, 
nine  ?,  four  — ;  November  12-February  8;  seven  from  Rae, 
four  3,  three  ?;  October  2-May  7.  The  ptarmigan  made  their 
appearance  at  Grand  Rapids  on  the  I2th  of  November  in  1892. 
The  Indians  brought  the  first  specimen  to  me,  but  it  was  so 
torn  by  No.  i  shot  and  the  beautiful  plumage  so  covered  with 
blood  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  a  good  skin  of  it. 

The  ptarmigan  were  not  abundant  that  season.  I  never 
secured  more  than  two  or  three  during  a  day's  hunt  that  could 
be  saved  as  specimens  so  easily  did  their  immaculate  plumage 
become  stained  when  even  t!.e  smallest  shot  was  used.  They 
frequented  the  sandy  dikes  of  the  lake  shore  where  they  fed 
upon  the  willow  buds.  They  were  not  easily  distinguishable 
at  a  little  distance  from  the  balls  of  snow  which  were  common 
in  the  willow  tops.  In  flight  they  keep  so  near  the  surface  of 
the  snow  that  wing  shots  are  rather  difficult  unless  they  pass 
before  a  dark  background  of  pines. 


;d  Plover. 
in,  June  2- 

)A  Grouse. 

September 
!ommon   at 


ID  Grouse. 

vo  — ;  Sep- 
During  our 
umming  of 


ED  Grouse. 


Ptarmigan. 

Dids,  two  $, 

from  Rae, 

made  their 

ber  in  1892. 

it  it  was  so 

jvered  with 

d  skin  of  it. 

I  never 

that  could 

te  plumage 

sed.     They 

re  they  fed 

inguishable 

re  common 

surface  of 

they  pass 


NATURAL   HISTORY— BIRDS 


261 


The  specimens  from  Rae  form  a  series  showing  the  complete 
transition  from  the  summer-brown  to  the  winter-white  plumage. 
A  male  bird  which  was  taken  in  a  snare  May  7th,  has  a  chest- 
nut brown  head  and  body  as  yet  white.  ^ 

302.    Lagopus  rupestris  ((?;»<?/.) .  Rock  Ptarmigan. 

An  Indian  in  our  party  killed  a  rock  ptarmigan  in  the  Bar- 
ren Ground  over  one  hundred  miles  from  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  during  the  musk-ox  trip  in  April.  There  was  no  thaw 
in  that  region  until  over  a  month  later. 

308.    Pediocaetes  phasianellus  {Linn.).    Sharp-tailed  Grouse. 

Aq-sco-pen-e-o,  C. 
Fourteen  specimens;  eleven  from  Grand  Rapids,  one  i,  three 
?,  seven  juv.;  August  30-November  21 ;  Rae,  two  6,  one  ?;  Oc- 
tober 4-7.  Abundant  at  the  first  station,  rather  common  at 
Rae  during  the  autumnal  migration.  They  are  highly  esteemed 
for  their  flesh  by  the  natives,  and  are  certainly  superior  to 
either  the  ptarmigan  or  the  white-fleshed  ruffed  grouse. 


331 


Marsh  Hawk. 


Circus  hudsonius  {Lmn.). 

Pi-pun-e-su,  C. 
Three  specimens;  Swampy  Island,  Lake  Winnipeg,  ?,  August 
28;  Chippewyan,  ?,  June  i;  Rae,  juv.,  August  22. 

332.    Accipiter  velox  (PF//y.).  Sharp-shinned  Hawk 

Four  specimens;  three  from  Grand  Rapids,  ?,   September  6- 
19;  Rae,  <?,  August  17. 

334.    Accipiteratricapillus  (fF//.y.).  American  Goshawk. 

Con-o-chik-in-o-chi-we-su,  C. 
Nine  specimens:   Grand   Rapids,  two  juv.,    September   15; 
seven  from  Rae,  juv.,  ?,  ?,  July  26-October  5.   The  commonest 
representative  of  this  order  about  Rae."^ 

337.    Buteo  borealis  {Gmel.).  Red-tailed  Hawk. 

One  specimen,  6;  Grand  Rapids,  September  19. 

*  See  page  86,  ante. 

•  See  page  86,  ante. 

18 


w 


A^'\ 


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I 


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3 


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W 


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ii  -1 


li  i' 


ii 


II 


■  I 


262 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


348.    Archibuteo  lagopus  sanctl-johannis  {GmcL). 

American  Rough-legged  Hawk. 


One  specimen,  3;  Herscht  i  Island,  August  4. 


Bald  Eagle. 


352.    Haliaeetus  leucocephalus  {Linn.). 

Mi-gi-su,  C. 

One  specimen,  juv.;  Grand  Rapids,  October  14.  Not  uncom- 
mon throughout  the  North.  I  saw  a  bald  eagle  on  November 
3d,  at  Rae,  which  seemed  to  be  following  the  caribou  in  their 
migration. 

356.    Falco  peregrinus  anatum  {Bonap.).  Duck  Hawk. 

One  specimen,  ?;  Herschel  Island,  August  16. 


357.    Falco  columbarius  Linn. 
Two  specimens,  <5;  Rae,  May  5. 


Pigeon  Hawk. 


360.    Falco  sparverius  Lhm.  American  Sparrow  Hawk. 

Pe-pi-ge-sis,  C. 

One  specimen,  juv.;  Grand  Rapids,  September  5.  Common. 

364.    Pandlon  haliaeetus  carollnensis ( Gmel.).  American  Osprey 

One  specimen,  6;  Rae,  July  26.     Not  uncommon  about  the 
Great  Slave  Lake. 

366.    Asio  wilsonianus  {Less.).    American  Long-eared  Owl. 
One  specimen,  ?;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  15. 


370.    Scotiaptex  cinereum  {Gmel.). 
One  specimen,  ?;  Rae,  May  4. 


Great  Gray  Owl. 


375.    Bubo  virginianus  {Gmel.).  Great  Horned  Owl. 

Co-co-tco,  C. 

Two  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  9,  February  8;  and  a  half- 
grown  specimen  from  Salt  River,  June  28. 

377A.  Surnia  ulula  caparoch  {Mall.).     American  Hawk  Owl. 

Tci-pom-o-tciz,  C. 
Five  specimens;  four  in  the  Grand  Rapids  collection,  one  3, 
one  $,  two  ?;  December  6-January  i.     One  from  Rae,  5;  Oc- 
tober 2. 


D  Hawk. 

D  Eagle. 

>t  uncom- 
lovember 
I  in  their 

K  Hawk. 
N  Hawk. 

w  Hawk. 
immon. 

N  OSPREY 

ibout  the 
lED  Owl. 

AY  Owl. 

ED  Owl. 
d  a  half- 

WK  Owl. 

)n,  one  5, 
e,  $;  Oc- 


NATURAL    HISTORY. -BIRDS 


263 


390.    Ceryle  alcyon  {Linn.).  Belted  Kingfisher. 

Kis-ki-min-e-suq,  C. 

Three  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  one  $,  two  ?;  September 
13-19.     Everywhere  common. 

393.  Dryobates  villosus  {Linn.).  Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Four  specimens,  one  ?j,  three  ?;  Grand  Rapids,  November 
5-Februar)'  16.     Common. 

393A.  Dryobates  villosus  leucomelas  {Bodd.). 

Northern  Hairy  Woodpecker. 

Two  specimens,  5;  Grand  Rapids,  November  16. 

394.  Dryobates  pubescens  {Linn.).  Downy  Woodpecker. 

Pa-pa-tcez,  C. 

Seven  specimens,  three  <?,  three  ?,  one  ?;  Grand  Rapids,  Sep- 
tember 7-November  29.     Common. 

400.    Picoides  arcticus  {Swains.). 

Arctic  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

One  specimen,  6,  Grand  Rapids,  November  i;  one  6,  Chip- 
pevvyan,  June  2. 

401  A.  Picoides  americanus  alascensis  {Nds.). 

Alaskan  Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

Two  ipecimens,  6;  Grand  Rapids,  September  lo-October  31. 
Not  common. 

402.    Sphyraphicus  varius  {Limi.). 

Yellow-bellied  Sapsucker. 

One  specimen,  received  from  Cedar  Lake.  I  should  suppose 
them  to  be  rare  in  that  region,  as  I  saw  none  myself,  though  I 
took  some  pains  to  collect  a  representative  series  of  the  Picidae. 

405.    Ceophloenis  pileatus  {Linn.).       Pileated  Woodpecker. 

One  specimen,  5;  Grand  Rapids,  Oct.  26.  The  first  killed 
about  that  post  for  several  years.  Later  in  the  season,  I  heard 
the  loud  note  of  another,  but  failed  to  approach  it  successfully. 
I  killed  three  while  in  the  Puget  Sound  country  and  found 
them  exceedingly  wary. 


i  ■! 

(' 

fj! 

>'■ 

1 

A 

264 


EXI'LORATIONtJ    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


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m 


412.  Colaptes  auratus  ilJnn.).  Flicker. 

U-ni-kwa-nc-o,  C. 
Four  specimens;  three  from  Grand   Rapids,  two  i,  one  $, 
Sept.  2I-Dec.  30;  one  !,  from  Chippewyan,  May  22.     Every- 
where common. 

413.  Colaptes  cafer  (Cr>;/i'/.).  Red-shafted  Flicker. 

One  specimen,  c^;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  ii.  One  seen  at 
Chippewjan,  May  21. 

420.    Chordeiles  virginianus  (6^///t7.).  Night-hawk. 

One  specimen,  ^*,;  Chippewjan,  June  12.  Abundant  at  Grand 
Rapids,  not  uncommon  at  Chippewyan. 

456.    Sayornis  phoebe  {Lath.).  Phcede. 

One  specimen,  S\  Chippewyan,  May  20.  I  found  this  species 
abundant  at  the  time  of  m}'  arrival.  May  18. 

467.    Empidonax  minimus  Baird.  Least  Flycatcher. 

Two  specimens,  ,?;  Chippewjan,  Ma)'  26-30.  Common;  a 
sh)'  but  noisy  little  wretch,  ever  read)'  to  raise  an  alarming 
outcry  when  its  own  skin  was  quite  safe. 

469.    Empidonax  wrightii  Baird.  Wright's  Flycatcher. 

One  specimen,  6;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  11. 

474A.  Otocoris  alpestris  leucoloema  {Coues). 

Pallid  Horned  Lark. 

Six  specimens;  one  ^,  taken  at  Gra  '  Rapids,  September  13; 
five  at  Chippewyan,  four  6,  one  ?,  May  20-25.  Not  uncommon 
at  both  stations. 

477.    Cyanocitta  cristata  {Linn.).  Blue  Jay 

Two  specimens,  l\  Grand  Rapids,  Nov.  2.  Very  rare  at  that 
station. 


' 


484.    Perisoreus  canadensis  {Linn.).  Canada  Jay. 

Kwi-kwe-su,  C. 
Thirty  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  eleven  <?,  ten  ?,  six  ?,  Sept. 
5-Feb.  17;  Chippew)an,  two  juv..  May  19;  Rae,  one  3,  Oct.  13- 


Flicker. 

3,  one  9, 
Every- 

Flickek. 
e  seen  at 

^T-HAWK. 

at  Grand 

Phcebe. 
lis  species 

rCATCHER. 

)mmon;  a 
alarming 

CATCHER. 


ED  Lark. 

smber  13; 
icommon 


Ilue  Jay 
re  at  that 

^ADA  Jay. 

X  ?,  Sept. 
,Oct.  13- 


NATURAL    HISTORY.     BIRDS 


265 


19.  Everywhere  common,  a  well-known  camp  prowler.  Whis- 
key jacks  are  often  caught  by  the  natives  in  snares  and  tortured 
in  various  waj-s  on  account  of  their  supposed  evil  influence  on 
sailing  winds.' 

4S6A.  Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgiv.  Northern  Raven. 

Ka-ka-ge-o,  C. 

Six  specin.ens;  Grand  Rapids,  two,  Sept.  21-Nov.  26;  Fort 
Smith,  one  ,,  June  28;  Rae,  one  ',  one  9,  one  juv.?,  August  318. 
Not  uncommon  throughout  this  region;  a  winter  resident  at  the 
fishery  re aise  heaps  at  Grand  Rapids,  but  I  have  not  seen  it  in 
summer  at  that  station;  a  rare  winter  resident  at  Rae.  We 
saw  several  ravens  perched  on  the  "mud  cliffs"  between  the 
mouth  of  the  Mackenzie  and  Herschel  Island.  The  raven  is 
called  "crow"  in  the  North. 

488.    Corvus  ainericanus  Ami.  American  Crow. 

A-ha-cu,  C. 

One  specimen,  ^;  Grand  Rapids,  Sept.  13.  Common.  Rich- 
ardson places  the  northern  limit  of  range  of  the  "barking 
crow"  at  "The  Rapids"  or  Providence.^  Mr.  Hodgson,  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  tr?.veled  up  and  down  the  Mac- 
kenzie each  summer  for  many  years,  assured  me  that  he  had 
never  seen  the  crow  below  the  "  Head  of  the  Line."  Mr.  Mc- 
Connell  states'^  that  the  barking  crow  made  its  appearance  at 
Simpson  on  the  20th  of  May,  in  1888. 

491.    Nucifraga  Columbiana  (^F/A.).      Clarke's  Nutcracker. 

Three  specimens,  i.\  Crow  Nest  Pass,  March  28-April  12. 
Common. 

495.    Molothrus  ater  (-5tf</^/.).  Cowbird. 

Five  specimens,  $,^  one  9,  three  juv.;  Grand  Rapids,  Sept.  13- 
Oct.  27.     Abundant.  "" 

497.    Xanthocephalus  xanthocephalus  {Bomp.). 
One  seen  at  Chippewyan. 

*  See  p.  36,  ante. 

*  Arctic  Searching  Expedition,  p.  102. 

»  Ann.  Rep.  Geo.  Sur.  of  Canada,  Vol.  IV,  [i.  860. 

19 


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266 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


^HM 


509.  Scoleocophagfus  carolinus  (iT//V//.).  Rusty  Blackbird. 
Two  sp'icimens,  ?;  Chippevvyan.     May  19-23.     Abundant. 

510.  Scoleocophagus  cyanocepbalus  {Wagl.). 

Chu-tcuk-e-nu,  C.       Brewer's  Blackbird. 

Two  specimens;  one  from  Grand  Rapids,  Sept.  7;  one  from 
Chippewyan,  r^,  May  23.  Abundant  at  the  latter  station.  Grand 
Rapids,  sex  ?,  Sept.  6. 

515.    Pinicola  enucleator  (/,/////.).  Pine  Grosbeak. 

Four  specimens,  twO(?,two?;  Grand  Rapids,  Oct.  14-Nov.  17. 

517.    Carpodacus  purpureas  {GmeL).  Purple  Finch. 

Two  specimens,  <?;  Chippewyan,  >^,  June  5.  Only  two  were 
seen  at  that  station. 

522.     Loxia  leucoptera  (hmi.  White-winged  Crossbill. 

One  specimen,  $;  Grand  Rapids,  Nov.  3.     A  rare  visitor. 

524.    Leucosticte  tephrocotis  Stvains. 

Gray-crowned  Leucosticte, 

Seven  specimens,  three  6,  four  9;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  14. 
Abundant. 

528.    Acanthis  linaria  {Limi.).  Redpoll. 

Fifty -two  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  nine  6,  seventeen  $, 
five  ?,  Oct.  27-Dec.  29;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  one  6,  three  ?,  April 
15;  Rae,  one  3,  four  ?,  seven  ?,  Oct.  7-12;  Herschel  Island, 
one  ?,  together  with  a  nest  and  three  eggs,  July  16.  Very 
abundant  at  every  post  at  which  I  collected. 

534.    Plectrophenax  nivalis  {Linn.).  Snowflake. 

Forty-three  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  three  $,,  two  ?,  Nov. 
I-Dec.  15;  Rae,  eleven  6,  tvveniy  ?,  two  ?,  Oct.  5-13;  Herschel 
Island,  five  <?,  July  16-18.  Abundant  in  the  winter  at  the  first 
station;  killed  by  the  natives  about  the  buildings  at  Rae  for 
food  during  the  fall  migration.  Common  at  Herschel  Island 
throughout  the  summer.  I  saw  a  large  number  in  the  Winni- 
peg markets  in  March. 


CKBIRD. 

idant. 

iCKBIRD. 

»ne  from 
.    Grand 


lOSBEAK. 

Nov.  17. 

£  Finch. 
wo  were 

lOSSBILL. 

sitor. 

OSTICTE, 

\pril  14. 

Ledpoll. 

inteen  ?, 
?,  April 
Island, 
Very 

WFLAKE. 

?,  Nov. 
^erschel 
the  first 

Rae  for 
Island 
i  Winni- 


NATURAL    HISTORY.     BIRDS  267 

536.    Calcarius  lapponicus  (Z?V///. ).  Lapland  Loncsi-ur. 

Thirty-six  specimens;  Chippewyan,  one  9,  Ma\'  24;  I  ler.schcl 
Island,  twelve  ,^,  fifteen  $,  nine  ^  July  I3-Au}ij.  13.  Ver\-  abun- 
dant at  Herschel  Island.     Onl)-  one  seen  at  Chippew\  an. 

542B.  Ammodramus  sandwichensis  alaudinus  iBonap:). 

Western  Savanna  Sparrow. 

Five  specimens;  three  i,  one  $,  one  ?,  Herschel  Island,  Jul)' 
i6-Au{iust  18. 

554A.  Zonotrichia  intermedia  AV^/i^rc.    Intkrmeoiatk  .Sparrijw. 
One  specimen,  f.;  Rae,  July  21. 

558.  ZonotriChia  albicellis  ( Gmd.).  White-throated  Sparrow. 

One  specimen,  .^;  Chippewyan,  May  22.  Common  at  Grand 
Rapids.  Their  long-drawn,  out-of-breath  note  often  heard  at 
Chippewyan. 

559.  Spizellamonticcla  (^;///t7.).  Trek  Sparrow. 

Seven  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  two  .^f,  Oct.  18;  Rae,  one  <?, 
Oct.  II,  one  ?,  July  21 ;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  11-15. 

559A.  Spizella  monticola  ochracea  Brnvst. 

Western  Trek  Sparrow. 

Two  specimens,  ^\  Chippewyan,  May  23-June  9. 

560.  Spizella  socialis  (W^/'/y.).  Chipping  Sparrow. 

Three  specimens;  one  6,  one  $,  one  ?,  Chippewjan,  Oct.  ii. 
Abundant. 

560A.  Spizella  socialis  arizonae  Cones 

Western  Chipping  .Sparrow. 

One  specimen;  Chippewyan,  May  30. 

561.  Spizella  pallida  {Szvains.).  Clay-colcred  Sparrow. 
Two  specimens;  Rae,  one  juv. 

567.    Junco  hyemalis  {Linn.).  Slate-colored  Junco. 

Twelve  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  one  ?,  Nov.  ii;  Chippe- 
wyan, May  19,  one  6.     Abundant  at  both  stations,  breeding  at 


'if!''--      1. 1- 


V 

Pi  • 


t-:M 


%    •  i 


268 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE    FAR    NORTH 


the  latter  one,  at  least,  where  1  collected  a  nest  containing  five 
eggs;  it  was  in  an  exposed  situation  in  a  recess  at  the  foot  of  a 
sloping  bank.     Crow  Nest  Pass,  one  6,  three  ?,  April  lo-ii. 

583.  Melosniza  lincolni  {And.).  Lincoln's  Sparrow. 

One  specimen,  ?,  Chippewyan,  May  28.  Rare.  Constantlj- 
moving,  "tipping"  like  a  sandpiper  about  the  roots  of  swamp- 
willows. 

584.  Melospiza  georgiana  {Lath.).  Swamp  Sparrow. 
Two  specimens,  6;  Chippewyan,  June  2, 

607.    Piranga  ludoviciana  {Wils.).  Louisiana  Tanager. 

One  specimen;  Fort  Smith;  June  28.     Rare. 

614.    Tachycineta  bicolor  (rVev//.).   White-bellied  Swallow. 

Four  specimens,  one  <?,  one  $,  two  ?;  Chippewj'an,  May  20. 
A  pair  were  building  in  a  hollow  tree,  June  3d;  no  eggs  at  that 
date. 

619.    Ampelis  cedrorum  (F/rt//.).  Cedar  Waxwing. 

Co-sa-go-pa-ton-e-chase,  C. 

Three  specimens,  two  i,  one  ?;  Grand  Rapids,  Sept.  8-9. 

621.    Lanius  borealis  Vieill.  Northern  Shrike. 

One  specimen,  ?;  Crow  Nest  Pass,  April  ii.     Common. 

624.     Vireo  olivaceous  {Lifm.).  Red-eyed  Vireo. 

Two  specimens,  one  6,  one?;  Chippewyan,  June  6.    Common. 

626.    Vireo  philadelphicus  {Cass.).  Philadelphia  Vireo. 

One  specimen,  .*;  Chippewyan,  June  5.     Only  one  seen. 

636.    Mniotilta  varia  {Lin/i.).        I^lack  and  White  Warbler. 
One  specimen,  ,*;  Chippew\an,  ?.lay  26.     Not  uncommon. 

647.    Heiminthophlla  peregrina  ( /F//.y.).    Tennessee  Warbler. 

Four  specimens,  two  6,  one  ?,  one  ?;  Chippewj'an,  May  30- 
June  6.     Abundant. 


1^  i  \  % 


m 


lining  five 
foot  of  a 
lO-II. 

Sparrow. 

onstantly 
if  swamp- 


5PARROW. 


Tan  ACER. 


SWALLOW. 

,  May  20. 
gs  at  that 


Vaxwing. 

t.  8-9. 

Shrike. 
[tion. 

D    ViREO. 

Common. 

A    ViREO. 

seen. 

Varbler. 
mmon. 

Warbler. 
May  30- 


NATURAL    HISTORY.-BIRDS  ^6 

650.    Dendroica  tigrina  (Gme/.).  Cape  May  Warbler. 

One  specimen;  Chippewyan,  May  31.     Only  one  seen.     A 
straggler? 

652.    Dendroica  aestiva  (Gmel).  Yellow  Warbler. 

Four  specimens;  three  $,  one  ?,  Chippewyan,  May  24-June  6. 

L,  '^'^f     ^^  ^°  ""^^^  '^'  appearance  (May  24),  and  by  the 
middle  of  June  the  commonest  species  of  the  order. 

655.    Dendroica  coronata  (Lmn.).  Myrtle  Warbler. 

Six  specimens;  Chippewyan,  two  $,  two  ?,  one  ?,  May  24-c?o- 
Rae,  one  ?,  July  27.  ^    ^  "^   ' 

657.    Dendroica  maculosa  (Gme/.).  Magnolia  Warbler. 

One  specimen,  $;  Chippewyan,  June  6.  A  Cree,  who  saw 
me  makmg  up  the  skin,  admired  the  beautiful  plumage  and 
remarked,  "Tap-is-kute  pi-e-sis  o-ki-mow  "-probably  it  is  a 
king  among  the  little  birds! 

661.    Dendroica  striata  (Font.).  Black  Poll  Warbler. 

Two  specimens,  one  3,  one  ?;  Chippewyan,  May  31. 

675A.  Seiurus  noveboracensis  notaWlis  {Ridgw.). 

Grinnell's  Water  Thrush. 
Two  specimens;  Chippewyan,  5,  May  24-26.     Abundant  for 
two  weeks  and  then  disappearing-passi  ,g  northward. 

687.    Setophaga  ruticilla  {Linn.).  American  Redstart. 

Three  specimens,  5,  Chippewyan,  June  5.     Common,  very 
tame,  often  coming  within  a  few  feet  of  me. 

697.    Anthus  pensilvanicus  {Lath.).  American  Pipit. 

Two  specimens;  Chippewyan,  6,  May  20;  Herschel  Island, 
?,  July  18.     Rare  at  both  stations. 

735.    Parus  atricapillus  Linn.  Chickadee. 

Twelve  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  Nov.  i8-Feb.  8.    Common. 
20 


■W' 


270 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


735A.  Panis  atricapillus  septentrionalis  {Harris). 

Long-tailed  Chickadee. 

One  specimen,  3;  Chippewyan,  May  30. 

740.    Panis  hudsonicus  Forst.  Hudsonian  Chickadee. 

Eight  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  seven,  Nov.  9-Feb.  10; 
Chippewyan,  one,  5,  May  31. 

749.    Reifulus  calendula  {Linn.).        Ruby-crowned  Kinglet. 

Two  specimens,  $,\  Chippewyan,  May  30-June  9.  The  fol- 
lowing spring  I  heard  the  loud  note  of  this  pigmy  songster  at 
Big  Slavey  Point,  north  of  the  Great  Slave  Lake,  on  May  13; 
the  ground  was  still  deeply  covered  with  snow.  There  could 
be  no  mistak-'ng  the  note — "  fatal  use,"  '*  fatal  use ;"  or, "  chappie, 
chappie,  jac'  Ish." 

761.    Merul    migratoria  {Linn.).  American  Robin. 

Pa-pes-cha-o,  C. 

Six  specimens;  Grand  Rapids,  one  6,  one  ?,  Sept.  7;  Fort 
Smith,  nest  and  three  eggs,  June  28. 


' 


m 


4i 


CKADEE. 


CKADEE. 

Feb.   lo; 

CiNGLET. 

The  fol- 
ngster  at 
May  13; 
:re  could 
chappie, 

«  Robin. 
7;  Fort 


I 


FISH 

Coregonus  clupeiformis  {Mitch.)  Mil. 
U-tik-u-me-kwa,  C.     Thlu-i,  D.  R.     Thlu-a,  S. 


Whitefish. 
Tluk-tuk-1-,  L. 


As  the  game  animals  disappear  the  settlements  become  more 
and  more  dependent  on  the  food  fishes  of  which  the  various 
species  of  coregoni  are  by  far  the  most  important.  Fortunately 
the  whitefish  is  abundant,  occurring  in  nearly  every  stream  and 
lake  in  the  region  visited.  It  is  a  gregarious  fish  which  may 
travel  long  distances  in  search  of  food  at  the  different  seasons, 
or  in  order  to  reach  shallow  waters  in  which  to  spawn.  As  a 
result  of  these  migrations,  whole  tribes  of  Indians  are  sometimes 
reduced  to  starvation.  The  Company's  trading  stations,though 
located  near  the  best  fisheries,  frequently  suffer  from  the  partial 
failure  of  the  fall  fishery.  The  scarcity  of  fish  at  Resolution 
in  the  fall  of  1893  was  ascribed  to  the  high  easterly  winds 
which  prevailed  during  the  season. 

This  fish  appears  to  supply  all  the  necessary  elements  for 
the  nourishment  of  the  body,  as  it  is  not  only  the  sole  article 
of  diet,  but  is  even  preferred  by  many  of  the  voyageurs  while 
engaged  in  severe  labor.  I  have  eaten  no  other  food  but  white- 
fish  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and  certainly  preferred  them  to  dried 
caribou  meat,  though  they  were  nearly  always  prepared  bj' 
boiling.  On  this  subject,  Richardson ^  says,  "Though  it  is  a 
rich,  fat  fish,  instead  of  producing  satiety  it  becomes  daily 
more  agreeable  to  the  palate;  and  I  know  from  experience, 
that  though  deprived  of  bread  and  vegetables,  one  may  live 
wholly  upon  this  fish  for  months,  or  even  years,  without  tiring." 
"The  mode  of  cooking  the  attihawmeg  is  generally  by  boiling. 
After  the  fish  is  cleaned,  and  the  scales  scraped  off,  it  is  cut 
into  several  pieces,  which  are  put  into  a  thin  copper  kettle, 
with  water  enough  to  cover  them,  and  placed  over  a  slow  fire; 

*  Fauna,  p.  195. 

271 


't  .  ! 


272 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


I 


as  soon  as  the  water  is  on  the  point  of  boiling,  the  kettle  is 
taken  off,  shook  by  a  semi-circular  motion  of  the  hand  back- 
wards and  forwards,  and  replaced  on  the  fire  a  short  time.  If 
the  shaking  be  not  attended  to  exactly  at  the  proper  moment, 
or  bt  unskilfully  performed,  the  fish  coagulating  too  suddenly 
becomes  comparatively  dry  to  the  taste,  and  the  soup  is  poor.*' 
I  was  told  that  the  reason  for  this  shaking  was  "  to  keep  it  from 
sticking  to  the  kettle."  Usually  no  attention  is  p'  id  to  the 
soup  which  is,  as  may  be  imagined,  without  salt,  not  very 
palatable,  though  we  greatly  relished  it  during  our  starvation 
trip  across  the  Great  Slave  Lake  in  September,  1893. 

The  stomach  is  said  to  be  a  "  favorite  morsel  with  the  voy- 
ageurs;"  it  is  not  "cleaned  and  boiled  with  the  rest  of  the  fish" 
by  the  Dog  Ribs,  who  usually  roast  it  directly  upon  the  coals, 
while  the  kettle  is  boiling;  after  scraping  the  ashes  from  this 
blackened  morsel  they  appear  to  relish  it  very  much  and  fre- 
quently give  it  to  the  children.  Of  the  two  methods  of  cooking 
in  vogue,  roasting  is  much  the  better;  che  fish  is  opened  along 
the  back,  cleaned,  scraped,  a  skewer  run  through  to  spread  it 
laterally,  and  then  fixed  on  the  end  of  a  stick  which  may  be 
set  in  the  ground  or  snow  before  the  fire.  It  is  opened  along 
the  bark  because  the  thick  flesh  at  the  edges  of  the  cut  does 
not  curl  and  cause  it  to  cook  unevenly  when  subjected  to  heat. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  country,  especially  those  in  charge  of 
the  ^'pret"  becoi/'e  expert  in  judging  the  condition  of  whitefish. 
The-fat  fish  has  a  "scooped  head,"  that  is,  the  shoulders  are 
raised  and  plump  with  fat;  they  are,  also,  deeper  posteriorly. 

The  lake  whitefish  arrive  at  Grand  Rapids  about  the  lOth  of 
May,  and  move  out  about  twenty  miles  off  shore  early  in  July. 
After  that  date  the  four  fishing  companies,  which  annually  ex- 
port several  thousand  pounds  of  frozen  whitefish  from  Lake 
Winnepeg,  set  their  nets  on  the  Saskatchewan  Grounds.  They 
have  freezing  stations  at  Swampy,  Reindeer,  and  Selkirk 
Islands  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Saskatchewan  and  Little  Sas- 
katchewan Rivers.  Several  miles  of  gill  nets  are  maintained, 
and  the  catch  in  1892  exceeded  that  of  any  preceding  year. 

The  most  of  the  Company's  posts  have  been  established  near 
fisheries  or  points  where  the  whitefish  come  during  the  spawn- 
ing season.  They  are  then  taken  in  large  numbers  and  "  hung" 
for  consumption  during  the  long  winter. 


NATURAL   HISTORY.— FISH 


273 


cettle  is 
d  back- 
ime.  If 
noment, 
uddenly 
s  poor.'' 
)  it  from 
I  to  the 
lot  very 
arvation 

:he  voy- 
he  fish  " 
le  coals, 
rom  this 
and  fre- 
cooking 
ed  along 
;pread  it 
I  may  be 
ed  along 
cut  does 
to  heat, 
harge  of 
hitefish. 
ders  are 
riorly. 
lOth  of 
in  July, 
aally  ex- 
m  Lake 
They 
Selkirk 
ttle  Sas- 
ntained, 
year, 
led  near 
i  spawn- 
"hung" 


s. 


The  harvest  time  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Indians  is  in  October 
when  the  fish  come  into  the  shoal  waters,  which  extend  for  sev- 
eral miles  southeast  of  the  reserve.  Each  family  buys  or  begs 
six  balls  of  twine  from  which  the  women  soon  weave  a  net, 
sixteen  meshes  wide,  and  twenty-five  to  thirty  fathoms  long. 
This  is  a  stormy  season  and  the  coast  is  fully  exposed  to  the 
northerly  gales  whic!.  frequently  preven*.  them  from  visiting 
the  nets  for  days  and  sometimes  the  net,  heavily  loaded  with 
fish,  is  carried  away  and  lost,  a  serious  misfortune  to  the  pov- 
erty-stricken owner.  Ordinarily  the  net  is  visited  two  or  three 
times  a  day.  The  fish  are  hung  at  the  fishery  in  "sticks  "  upon 
staging,  to  dry  and  freeze;  a  stick,  an  inch  in  diameter  is  thrust 
through  the  tail  and  they  are  hung  heads  downward  in  bunches 
of  ten.  The  flesh  becomes  firmer  by  this  process  which  usually 
tends  to  improve  them,  but  if  warm  weathei  overtakes  them 
while  on  the  stage  the  characteristic  "  hung"  flavor  becomes 
unbearably  rank.  Larger  fish  are  reduced  to  the  whitefish 
standard  by  hanging  fewer  of  them  in  each  bunch. 

The  gill  nets  used  in  the  eddies  of  the  streams  are  shorter 
than  those  of  the  lake.  Scoop  nets  are  used  at  the  Grand 
Rapids  of  the  Saskatchewan  in  September  and  October.  They 
are  two  to  three  feet  in  diameter  with  a  handle  twelve  feet 
long.  The  net  is  swept  down  with  the  current,  sometimes, 
bringing  up  two  or  three  fish  at  a  haul;  again,  the  fisherman 
casts  for  hours  without  success.  It  is  very  fatiguing  work, 
standing  in  the  snow  and  swinging  the  heavy  net,  dripping  with 
ice-cold  water.  The  whitefish  taken  in  the  river  are  much 
smaller  than  those  from  Lake  Winnipeg. 

What  are  known  as  "  small  whitefish  "  weigh  two  to  three 
pounds.  I  found  these  in  the  Saskatchewan,  Slave,  and  Buffalo 
Rivers,  and  at  Rae.  The  "large  whitefish  "  were  abundant  in 
Lake  Winnipeg,  at  Resolution,  Hay  River,  and  Big  Islands 
about  the  Great  Slave  Lake  and  on  the  Lower  Mackenzie  and 
the  Peel  River.  Old  Jack  Fiddler  sent  two  fish  to  the  post, 
during  my  stay,  which  weighed  fifteen  and  sixteen  pounds  each. 
Whitefish  hav^  been  caught  near  Grand  Rapids  which  exvjeeded 
twenty  pounds  each  in  weight.  The  nets  are  set  under  the  ice 
in  winter,  especially  if  the  fall  fishery  has  been  a  failure.  This 
is  done  by  cutting  holes  at  intervals  through  which  by  means 
of  a  long,  spliced  pole  a  line  is  passed  by  which  the  net  is 


m 


«74 


EXPLORATIONS    IN   THE   FAR    NORTH 


dragged  under  when  the  ice  becomes  five  or  six  "^eet  thick. 
Considerable  labor  is  required  to  dig  the  deep  trenci  n  which 
to  pass  the  pole  under.  Sticks  are  set  up  in  a  circle  aruund  the 
ends  of  the  net,  which  support  the  blanket  of  the  fisherman 
when  the  net  is  visited;  the  shelter  being  placed  on  the  wind- 
ward side,  nothwithstanding  this  precaution  it  is  bitterly  cold 
work,  handling  the  net,  when  the  hands  are  raised  out  of  water. 
Two  persons  are  required  to  handle  a  net  under  the  ice,  one 
attends  to  the  net  itself  and  the  other,  to  the  line  by  which  it 
is  reset.* 

The  average  fall  catch  made  by  the  Indians  at  Grand  Rapids 
is  about  11,000.  The  largest  number  secured  by  one  family 
was  1,000,  the  smallest,  140,  the  average,  only  375.  This  was, 
of  course,  an  insufficient  supply,  and  several  families  were 
"  starving  "  before  February,  that  is,  either  living  on  hares,  owls, 
martens,  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  from  the  traps,  or  steal- 
ing from  the  log  pens  in  which  their  more  industrious  neigh- 
bors had  cached  their  fish  along  the  lake  shore,  to  be  hauled  in 
by  dogs  in  the  winter. 

Two  specimens,  skeletons.  Grand  Rapids. 


if 


i  1 

< 

i 

Lit 

Acipenser  rubicundus  Le  Sueur.  Lake  Sturgeon. 

Ni-me-o,  C. 

A  fair-sized  sturgeon  is  occasionally  taken  from  the  nets  far 
off  shore  in  Lake  Winnipeg,  but  since  the  advent  of  the  steam- 
boats in  1872,  they  are  never  found  about  the  post.  Previous 
to  that  time  they  were  abundant  at  all  seasons  except  during 
the  month  of  March  (according  to  McLean).  Richardson'^ 
states  that,  "  The  great  rapid  which  forms  the  discharge  of 
the  Saskatchewan  into  Lake  Winnipeg,  appears  quite  alive 
with  these  fish  in  the  month  of  June,  and  some  families  of  the 
natives  resort  thither  at  that  time  to  spear  them  with  a  har- 
poon, or  grapple  them  with  a  strong  hook  tied  to  a  pole." 
*'  The  Saskatchewan  sturgeon  weighs  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds, 
and  rarely  attains  the  weight  of  sixty."  It  is  common  in  Cedar 
and  Moose  Lakes  and  along  the  Saskatchewan. 

Sturgeon  were  caught  at  the  narrows,  the  outlet  of  Cedar 
Lake,  throughout  the  winter  of  1892.     The  isinglass,  air  blad- 

>  I'ide  Schoolcraji,  Part  II,  p.  51. 
'J.^auna,  p.  280. 


f^t  thick. 

n  which 
)und  the 
Sherman 
he  wind- 
:rly  cold 
Df  water. 

ice,  one 
which  it 

I  riapids 
t  family 
'his  was, 
es  were 
es,  owls, 
or  steal- 
s  neigh- 
auled  in 


URGEON. 

nets  far 
2  steam- 
Previous 
:  during 
lardson^ 
large  of 
ite  alive 
:s  of  the 
1  a  har- 
a  pole." 
pounds, 
n  Cedar 


/ 


NATURAL    HISTORY.-FISH 


275 


der  (nemaskwa),  is  purchased  at  the  Company's  posts  for  67 
cents  a  pound;  ten  fish  furnish  one  pound. 


Jackfish. 


ESOX  lucius  Linn. 

I"k-t3,  D.  R.  Un-ta,  S.  Ol-tin,  L. 

The  pike,  or,  as  it  is  generally  known  in  the  North,  the  jack- 
fish,  is  found  throughout  the  region  visited,  but  it  is  far  less 
abundant  than  the  whitefish  and  less  esteemed  for  food. 

I  first  saw  them  in  Lake  Winnipeg  socth  of  Grand  Rapids 
where  they  were  abundant  in  the  reeds  along  the  shore  of  shal- 
low bays.  I  found  them  quite  common  on  the  north  coast  of 
the  Great  Slave  Lake  and  in  the  Yellow  Knife  River.  The 
Slavey  Lm  Mans  near  the  outlet  of  the  lake  were  subsisting  upon 
them  when  I  passed  that  point  in  May,  1894.  The  jackfish  is 
said  to  be  fat  and  well-flavored  at  that  season  but  it  was  cer- 
tainly inferor  to  the  whitefish.  My  dogs  were  starving  at  that 
time  yet  they  ate  sparingly  of  them,  and  when  well  fed  on 
whitefish,  refused  to  eat  jackfish. 

Nets  intended  for  t^.eir  capture  are  made  of  "jackfish  twine," 
somewhat  heavier  than  that  in  other  nets,  but  they  are  rarely 
used.  Holes  torn  in  the  nets  at  Rae  were  generally  attributed 
to  the  jackfish. 


i  Cedar 
lir  blad- 


I   i' 

1 

INSECTS 

Class  HEXAPODA. 

THE  insects*  collected  on  this  expedition  are  comparatively 
few  in  number,  in  consequence  of  the  time  being  fully  taken 
up  with  more  conspicuous  forms  of  life.  Aside  from  a  locust 
{Mel<  opltis  bivittatus  Say),  an  humble-bee,  a  Phryganeid  and  a 
small  fly  {Dilophus),  all  from  Grand  Rapids,  they  belong  to  the 
orders  Lepidoptera  and  Coleoptera,  and  in  general  represent 
species  which  are  characteristic  of  or  common  in  the  pine-cov- 
er d  regions  of  Canada  and  the  country  of  the  Great  Lakes; 
some  of  them  indeed  extending  even  far  to  the  southward  of 
the  Canadian  boundary. 

Order  LEPIDOPTERA. 

NYMPHALIDiE. 

Vanessa  antiopa  Linn.  Mourning  Cloak. 

Several  specimens  of  this  species,  which  is  common  to  both  of 
the  northern  continents,  were  obtained  at  Fort  Rae  in  August 

Vanessa  milberti  Gdt.  Milbert's  Butterfly. 

Fort  Rae,  August  I2th. 

Attacus  cecropia  Lifm. 

One  specimen,  Fort  Rae,  August  I2th. 

Order  COLEOPTERA. 

CARABIDiE. 

Trachypachys  inermis  Mots. 

Slave  Lake,  one  specimen.     This  species  is  widely  distributed 
in  North  America,  through  the  northern  and  mountain  regions. 

'  Report  furnished  by  H.  F.  Wickham. 
276 


SATURNID^. 


Cecropia  Moth. 


aratively 
Uy  taken 
a  locust 
;id  and  a 
ng  to  the 
epresent 
pine-cov- 
it  Lakes; 
tivvard  of 


Cloak. 
o  both  of 
August 

FTERFLY. 


A  Moth. 


strlbuted 
regions. 


NATURAL    HISTORY-INSECTS 


277 


It  occurs  in  Alaska,  Vancouver  Island,  Washington,  Oregon, 
Idaho,  and  in  the  mountains  of  New  Mexico  and  Colorado. 

Bembidium  yaries:atum  Say. 

Grand  Rapids,  L.  Winnipeg.  One  specimen.  Common  in 
Canada  and  the  United  States. 

Pterostichus  orinomum  Leach. 

Grr.nd  Rapids.  A  common  insect  from  Alaska  to  Labrador 
a^d  occurring  also  in  Oregon,  Idaho,  and  the  mountains  of 
Colorado  and  Montana. 

Amara  erratica  Sturm. 

Grand  Rapids.  Northern  America,  Asia,  Europe;  in  this 
country  extending  from  Alaska  to  the  Atlantic,  south  to  Lake 
Superior  and  Vermont. 

Platynus  sinnatns  Dej. 

Slave  Lake.  Common  in  the  iiorthern  regions  from  New 
England  to  British  Columbia. 

Platynus  obsoletus  Say. 

Fort  Rae.  This  has  lately  been  placed  in  synonymy  with  P. 
hogemanni  Gyll.,  of  northern  Europe.  Alaska,  Oregon,  British 
Columbia,  Canada,  North  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  west  to 
Colorado.     Siberia. 

Platynus  picipennis  Kirby. 

Slave  Lake.  Occurs  in  Canada  and  the  Lake  Superior 
region. 

Harpalus  basilaris  Kirby. 

Fort  Rae,  one  specimen.  Extends  southward  to  Colorado 
and  Wyoming  (Greeley  and  Cheyenne). 

DYTISCIDiE. 

Ilybius  pleuriticus  Lee. 

Slave  Lake,  on  the  ice.  Also  found  in  Pennsylvania,  Iowa, 
and  at  Lake  Superior. 


21 


!i     i         t 


278 


■  ! 


It 


r? 


EXI'LURATIONS    IN    TlIE    FAR    NURTll 
GYRINFD/K. 


Gyrinus  maculiventris  Lir. 
Grand  Rapids,  one  specimen. 

HVDROI'HILID.*:. 

Hydroblus  fuscipes  Lw/i. 

Slave  Lake.  Common  in  Europe;  in  this  country  it  extends 
acro.ss  the  northern  half  of  the  continent,  from  the  Atlantic  to 
Oregon  and  thence  along  the  Pacific  coast  down  to  Southern 
California. 

SILPHIDil':. 

Necrophorus  pustulatus  Hcrsch.,  var.  melsheimeri  Kirby. 
Grand  Rapids.     A  widely  distributed  northern  form. 

Silpha  lapponica  Hcrbst. 

Grand  Rapids  and  Fort  Smith.  Common  in  the  northern 
and  western  portions  of  this  continent  and  in  the  north  of 
Europe. 

STAPHVLINIDiC. 

Arpedium  cribratum  Fimv. 
Slave  Lake. 

COCCINELLIDiE. 

Coccinella  transversoguttata  Fald. 

Slave  Lake  and  Fort  Rae.  Abundant  in  parts  of  Canada 
and  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States;  occurs 
also  at  Lake  Superior,  in  Greenland,  California  and  Mexico. 

Coccinella  montlcola  Mtds. 

Slave  Lake.  Also  occurs  at  Lake  Superior,  in  Oregon,  Van- 
couver Island,  and  the  Rock)-  Mountains  of  Colorado. 

ELATERID^. 

Corymbites  morulus  Lee. 

Fort  Rae.     Known  also  from  Colorado. 

BUPRESTID.E. 

Dicerca  tenebrosa  Kirby. 

Fort  Smith,  Found  not  uncommonly  in  Canada  and  the 
states  adjoining  the  Great  Lakes. 


NATURAL    HISTORY.-INSECTS 


279 


1  r 


Melanophlla  lon?ipes  S/y. 

Fort  Smith.     Has  a  wide  northern  and  montane  distribution 
in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

B„      ,.    .  LAMPVRID^. 

EUychnla  comisca  Lw/i. 

Grand  Rapids.     Common  in  Canada  and  most  of  the  United 
States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

CERAMBYCID/E. 

Merium  proteum  Ktrdjy. 

Fort  Smith.     Also  occurs  in  Alaska,  British  Columbia,  Can- 
ada, and  our  northern  states. 

Xylotrechus  undulatus  Saj^. 

Grand  Rapids.     More  or  less  abundant  in  British  Columbia, 
Canada,  and  our  northern  states  generally. 

Leptura  sexmaculata  Lw/i. 

Fort  Smith.     Reported  also  from  Europe  and  Siberia,  Can- 
ada, the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  several  of  our  northern  states. 

Monohammus  scutellatus  i>j. 
Fort  Smith. 

Monohammus  confusor  Kzrd}'. 

Grr.nd  Rapids.     Both  of  these  are  characteristic  of  the  great 
belt  Df  coniferous  forests  and  its  southern  extension. 

CHRYSOMELIDiE. 

Chrysomela  multipunctata  5^^. 
Fort  Smith. 

Galerucella  nymphaeae  Lhm. 
Slave  Lake. 

Haltica  ignita  ///. 

Fort  Rae,  All  of  these  Chrysomelidse  are  of  wide  distribu- 
tion and  common  far  to  the  southward  of  the  localities  in  which 
they  were  taken. 


I 


^'! 


f 


m\ 


280 


EXPLORATIONS   IN   THE    FAR    NORTH 


TENEBRIONIDiE. 

Upis  ceramboides  Linn. 

Fort  Smith.  Europe  and  Asia;  extends  across  the  northern 
portion  of  North  America,  particularly  in  the  coniferous  belt 
from  Maine  to  Montana. 

CURCULlONIDiE. 

Lepyrus  colon  Linn. 

Fort  Smith.  Found  in  Europe  and  Siberia;  Mt.  Washington, 
New  Hampshire,  Hudson's  Bay  region. 

Pissodes  affinis  RanJ. 
Fort  Smith. 

SCOLYTIDiE. 

Xyloterns  bivittatus  Mann. 

Slave  Lake.  Reported  from  Alaska,  British  Columbia,  Can- 
ada, and  our  northern  states  in  general,  extending  southward 
to  California  and  New  Mexico. 


LLST    OF    THE    FOSSILS. 


281 


northern 
ous  belt 


LIST  OF  THE  FOSSILS. 


shington, 


ibia,  Can- 
)uthward 


DEVONIAN. 


MIDDLE  DEVONIAN. 


Cyathophyllum  Cicspitosum  (Goldfus.s)  Meek. 

Cyathophyllum  arcticum  Meek. 

Cyathoph\llum  (.sp?) 

Cystiphyllum  americanum  var.  arcticum  Meek  var. 

Spirifer  sub!  neatus  Meek. 

Cyrtina  hamiltonensis  Hall. 

Atrypa  reticularis  Linnaa;us. 

Atrypa  aspera  Schlotheim. 

Pentanieru.s  coinis  Owen. 

Newberria  hevi.s  Meek. 


UPPER   CRETACEOUS. 

LARAMIE. 

Unio  (sp'r') 

Viviparus  prudentius  White. 

Physa  copei  var.    canaden.sis  Whiteavcs.* 


*Thi^  last  species   is  scarcely  distinguishable   from  HulimHs   disjumt,,^ 
vv  hite. 


\ 


INDHX 


TAGB. 

Acanthis  linaria 266 

Accipiter  atricapillus,    ...     261 

velox, 261 

Acipenser  vubicundtts,  .  .  .  274 
Actitis  macularia,  ....  259 
Aegfialitis  semipalmata,  .  .  260 
Albino  Caribou,  Skin  of,    .   <)l,  226 

Alces  machlis, 229 

method  of  capturin"-,  .     .     229 

range  of 230 

value  of, 230 

Aleutian  Islands,  .     .     .       15:5,  157 

Allen,  J.  A., 248 

Aniara  erratica, 277 

Ammodraraus  sandwicliensis 

alaudinus, 267 

Ampelis  cedrorum,     ....     268 

-^•""lets 183.  184 

Anas  americana, 257 

boschas, 256 

carolinensis 257 

penelope, 257 

Anthus  pensilvanicus,  .     .     .     269 
Archibuteo  lagopus  sancti-jo- 

hannis 
Arctic  Circle,  across  the, 


262 
134 


Arctic  Ocean, 149 

Arpedium  cribratum,     ...     278 

Arrows, ^^■y 

Asio  wilsonianus, 262 

Athabasca  Lake,   ...    49,  55  59 

landing, 49*^1 

river,  ...      34,  40,  49,  55^  ,59 
Grand  Rapids  of  the.   .     51,  55 


'■a(;e. 
Athabascans, j^^j 

calendar, ■^f^^ 

education ^59 

habits, J59 

language 155 


leaders. 


164 

'"'Jffes, 160,161 

migration,  ....       i^i,  152 
provision i(,3,  1^4 

•"e^'ff'O" 162,  163 

superstitions, jg^ 

2,27 
27(^ 


Atkin.son,  "Old"  Joe, 
Attacus  cecropia,  .  . 
Aurora, j. 


90 
?.57 
257 
179 


Ayee  ecwoh,  m' nitla! 
Aythyaaffinis, 

collaris 

Babiche, 

Back,  Captain  George,  .    H,  (ki,  106 

Bailey  Island, 13J 

"Balaina,"  on  board,      .       147   14s 
Barren  Ground,      .     .     .    70,71,76 

first  sght  of, HI 

journey  through,      .       112.113 
start  for, 72 

superstitions  about.     .     .       71 
Bear,  grizzly,     ....       ^^^^  139 

PO'"' 1.51,155 

Begg,  Alexander 28 

Behring  Sea,  crossing,  ...  155 

Bembidium  variegatum,     .     .  277 

Big  Island Ul 

fishing  at g^^ 

journey  to 127 


i 

1 

Ir'H 

■;:'  .;■; 

c 

■i;  .^ 

E*^ ' 

W- 

1,  « 

•  ■ilj 

ill 

1  ^n 

Bl 

i-'|.  . 

.^f. 

!'.'(: 


P: 


|:||i  ; 


284 


KXPLORATIONS   IN  TlIK   'AR   NORTH. 


1>A(1K 

Bird  Darts, 193 

B.'rds,  collecting- in  Delta, .     .  60 
at  Grand  Rapids,       .     2,  10,  33 

at  Herschel's  Island,    .     .  149 

on  Mackenzie  River,    .     .  138 

atRae, 86 

Bison  americanus 231 

ranfje  of, 232 

Bison  intiquus, 232 

Boiler  Rapids,  runninf,'-,      .     .  55 

Bompas,  Bishop 29 

Bonasa  umbellus  togata,    .     .  260 
umbellus  umbel  loides,       .  260 
Books  printed  in  Cree  sylla- 
bles   184 

Bow  Drill 194 

Bows 191 

Branta  canadensis,    ....  258 

canadensis  hutchinsii,      .  258 
Breach    of    promise    case   at 

Grand  Rapids,      ...  24 

Bryce,  Dr 4 

Bubo  virginianus,      ....  262 

Buffalo  Hunt 100 

Buffalo  River,  nig-ht  at,      .     .  96 

Bull,  Head 43 

Burial  Places  of  Crees,  ...  2 

Buteo  borealis 261 

Buttons 184 

"Cakes," 5 

Calcarius  lapponicus,    .     .     .  267 

Calico  Island 33 

Calidris  arenaria 259 

Camsell,  J.  S 45,  68,  160 

Canis  lagopus 243 

lupus, 2^1 

vulpes 242 

Canoe  model, 184 

Canoes 176,  177 

Canoe  trip  across  Great  Slave 

Lake, 79 

Cape  Bathurst 148 

Cape  Smythe,     whaling^   sta- 
tions at 152 

Cape  Tchaplin,      .     .     .       155,  188 

Cariacus  macrotus 22^ 


7% 

71 

266 


Caribou  hunt,  first,     .     .     . 

preparations  for  hunt. 

superstitions  about, 
Carpodacus  purpureus.  .     . 

Carr3'ing-  Straps 174 

Cascade  Rapids.    ......  54 

Castor  canadensis 251 

Cedar  L,ake 33 

boat  trip  to 10 

Ceophl(i"is  pileatus.        .     .     .  263 

Ceryle  alcyon 263 

Charadrius  dominicus    .     .     .  259 

squatarola, 259 

Chartier,  Antoine,     ...      29,  36 
Chemawawin,  Indian  Reserve 

of 10 

arrival  at 12 

Chest  Portage 61 

Chillouis, 104 

Chippewyan,     .     .     .45,  49,  56,  57 

Chi-sai-witc-in, 135 

Chordeiles  virg-inianus,      .     .  264 

Christmas  day, 100 

Chrysomela  multipunctata,    .  279 

Circus  hudsonius,       ....  261 

Clang-ula  hyemalis 139 

Clay,  edible 133 

Clearwater  River 55 

Coccinella  transversoguttata,  278 

monticola, 278 

Cohoyla,  Johnnie,  108,  109,  111,  112 

113,  116,  117,  118,  121,  164 

Colaptes  auratus,  .     .          .     .  264 


cafer,       

"Colville," 

Colymbus  holboellii, 

nigricollis  californicus, 

paciticus,     .... 
Coppermine  River,     .     . 

in  camp  on,     .     .     . 
Coregonus  clupeiformis, 

manner  of  cooking, 

method  of  capture, 
Corvus  americanus, 

corax  principalis,     . 
Corymbites  morulus, 


264 
1 
254 
254 
139 
45,  71 
112 
271 
271 
273 
265 
265 
278 


n 


Al    I 


f-AClC 

,    , 

»\ 

It,  . 

7". 

,    , 

71 

,    , 

266 

,    , 

174 

, 

54 

,    , 

251 

, 

33 

,    , 

10 

263 

,    , 

263 

259 

,    , 

259 

. 

29,  36 

iserve 

10 

12 

61 

,  , 

.  104 

5,49, 

56,  57 

.  135 

, 

.  264 

,    , 

.  100 

ata. 

.  279 

.  . 

.  261 

,    , 

.  139 

,    , 

.  133 

,    , 

55 

Littata 

,  278 

,    , 

.  278 

109,  1 

11,  112 

121,  1 

54 

, 

.  264 

,    , 

.  264 

.  . 

1 

.  . 

.  254 

icus, 

.  254 

.  . 

.  139 

,    , 

45,  71 

.    . 

.  112 

s,  . 

.  271 

J         • 

.  271 

1     • 

.  273 

J    , 

.  265 

,    , 

.  265 

.  . 

.  278 

> 


INDEX 


=85 


Crania 199 

Crees, 21 

belts  of,       27 

capotes,        26 

caps, 5' 

nioccasiiis,       .... 


27 

11 

48 

184 

264 


Cross  Lake, 

Crow  Nest  Pass,    .... 

Cups, 

Cyanocitta  cristata,  .     .     . 

Dafila  acuta, 257 

Dawson,  Capt.  H.  P.,     .  OM,  87,  242 
Deer,  Dressing-  skin  of,    .     185,  186 

.snare, 179 

Demi-charg-e  Rapids.     .     11,  33.  35 
Dendraffapus  canadensis.  .     .     2h() 

Dendroica  a'stiva 269 

coronata 2(>9 

maculosa, 2ti9 

striata 26'> 

tig-rina, 26') 

Dicerca  tenebrosa 27s 

Dilophus 276 

Doffs,  cruel  treatment  of.  .      1.^.  K, 
disappearance  of.     ,     .     .     m 

driving u 

feeding- <).S.  104 

trainitig is 

shoes 42.  174 

whips 17<> 

Dog-  Head,  journey  to.    ...       43 

Dog  Ribs,    .     .     70,  71.  so.  lo').  112 

114. 115,  116.  119.  123.  Ib2,  163 

capotes  of l7o 

caps  of 170.  171 

caribou  skin,  lodg-e  of,      .     108 

clothing-  of. 169 

hunting  frock,      ....     169 
leather  gowji  of.       .     .     .     170 

leg-gins 171 

moccasins, 172 

Drake,  Sir  Francis 26 

Drum 17(1 

drawings  on, 37 

drumstick 37 

Dryobates  pube.scoiis,     .     .     .     263 


I'AGK 

villosus 263 

villosus  leucomelas.      .     .  263 

Duck-hunting. 12.  85 

Duffels 173 

East  Cape,  settlement  at.  154 

Easter  among  Dog  Ribs.  .      .  110 

Ecag-oo iHi 

Eddy  Brothers,  hospitality  of,  48 

Edmonton,     ....      35.  49,  126 

Embarras  River, 56 

Emile,        79,  81 

superstitions  of,  ...     .  82 

Empidonax  minimus,     .     .     .  264 

wrightii 264 

Ereunetes  pusillus 2.S9 

Erismatura  rubida 258 

Escape  Reef, 143 

Eskimo  graves 145 

Eskimos.  Boots  of 189 

buttons 190 

camp, i4i 


141,  146.  187 

,     .    187.  188 

...     142 

.     .     .      189 


dress.       .     . 

frock  of,     .     . 

hospitality  of, 

mittens  of.  . 

moccasins  of,        ....     172 

rain  frock, 188 

trousers I88 

Esox  lucius,        27.T 

Expedition,  objects  of.     45.  46,  223 

plans  of 45,  124 

Falco  columbarius,    ....     262 

peregrinus  anatum,      .     .     262 

sparverius 262 

Faniud.  Henri.        ,     .     12,  112,  159 

Far  North 34,  40,  106 

Faville,  Captain  "Joe."      .     .SO.  51 

Felis  canadensis; 240 

Fiber  zibethicus 250 

Fieldeii.  Major.  .  .  .  234,  248 
Fire  Bags 197 

steel. 17.S 

Fisher  Bay 43 

Fishhooks 195 

Fishii  g  Lake 7=, 

"Flyi.ig  Post," 3.1 


286 


KXI'LOKATJONS  IN  TME   FAR   NORTH. 


I'AGK 

Fossils,  Collecting     ....      53 

at  Cape  Ivi.sbiirne.    .     .     .     153 

near  Good  Hope,       .     .     .     133 

Francois,  Little,    ,     .     97,  103,  104 

demands  of,     .     .     .       100,  101 

excuse  of 101 

Franklin,  Sir  John,  76,  130,  143,  147 

232,  242 
Frobisher,  Benjamin,     ...      34 
Fulmar  glacialis  rodg'er.sii,     .     256 
Gale,  loss  from  a  terrific,        .       10 
Galerucella  nymph;c;e,  .     .     .     279 

Game  Ba^s, 178,  179 

Gaudette,  C.  P 133 

Good  Hope 133 

arrival  at, 133 

start  from, 134 

"Grahame,"  .     .      50,  51,  .55,  57,  61 

Grand  Rapids, 41,  44 

arrival  at, 1 

Grand  Traverse,  across,     .     .     105 

Grand  View, 134 

Grave  of  Indian  Chief,  ...        3 

Gravel  Point, 65 

Great  Bear  Lake-  .     .     45,  108,  162 

Great  Slave  Lake,      .     .  40,  68,  131 

sledg-e  trip  around, ...      91 

Gros  Cape, 82,  84 

Gulo  luscus 240 

Gun  cases, 178 

Gj'rinus  maculiventris,      .     .     278 
Haliaiiitus  leucocephalus,  .     .     262 

Haltica  ig-nita, 279 

Hammer, 195 

Haploceros  montanus,   .     .     .     237 

Hares,  snariny, 14 

on  Little  Buffalo  River,    .     102 

Harness, 16 

Harness  swivels, 196 

Harpalus  basilaris,    ....     277 

Harpoons, 193 

Hay  River 96 

natives  of, 96 

Keaine,  Samuel,  132,  158,  164,  227, 

228.  229,  233,  247. 
Holminthophila  peregrina,     .     268 


PACK 

Herald  Island 153 

Herschel  Island,  125,  134,  137,  138, 
141.  145,  146. 

arrival  at, 147 

Hind,  H.  Y..       .     .    12,  33,  136,  181 

Hislop,  James, 251 

Histrionicus  histrionicus,  .     .     257 
Hodgson,  Jos.,  78,  85,  105,  106,  124, 
125,  126,  .64,  246. 

Houses  of  Crees, 25 

Hudson's  Bay  Company,  2,  32,  33, 
40,  57,  58. 

steamers  of, 35 

Humbug  Bay, 43 

Hydrobius  fuscipes,        .     .     .     278 

Ice  "Bucking," 148 

Ice  harvest 21 

Idol .     .     180 

Ilybius  pleuriticus 277 

Jack  Fiddler, 19.  273 

Jacktish  Point,  arrival  at, .     .     130 

"Jeanette," 152,  154 

Junco  hyemalis, 267 

Kay  Point 145.  150 

Kelly,  J.  W 144 

King,  Richard 65,  230 

Klotz,  Otis  J 3 

Knife 184,  194 

Labrets 190 

Ladles 177,  197 

Lafert^,  Alexis 79 

Vital  1 79,  81 

La  France.  Joseph 34 

Lagopus  lagopus,       ....     260 

rupestris, 261 

La  (irosse  He, 68 

La  (Jrosse  Roche 69 

Lahonton,  Baron  de  .     .     .     .     243 

Lake  Aga,ssiz, 46 

Lake  Winnipegoosis,      ...       36 

Lamps 195 

Lanius  borealis, 268 

Larus    argcntatus   smithson- 

ianus, 255 

delawarensfs 2.55 

glaucus, 255 


PAf.E 

.     .     153 
,  137.  138, 

.     .     147 

3,  136,  181 

.     .     251 

.  .     .     257 
,  106,  124. 

.     .       25 
2,  32,  33, 


. 

35 

,    . 

43 

. 

278 

,    , 

148 

. 

21 

. 

180 

. 

277 

.  w 

273 

.   . 

130 

152 

154 

. 

267 

145 

150 

. 

144 

.  65, 

230 

. 

3 

184, 

194 

,     . 

19) 

177, 

197 

,    , 

79 

.   79,  81 

. 

34 

260 

. 

261 

. 

68 

,    , 

69 

. 

243 

.    , 

46 

. 

30 

(    , 

195 

•    • 

268 

iOU- 

255 

,   , 

255 

,   ^ 

255 

' 


INDEX. 


287 


"Lee  Tea," 89,  94,  121 

Le  Grand  Detour, 66 

Lepus  americanus,     ....     248 

timidus, 247 

Leptura  sexmaculata,    .     .     .    279 

Lepyrus  colon, 280 

Letter  of  credit, 2 

Leucosticte  tephrocotis,     .     .     266 

Lignite, 132 

L'Isle  de  Pierre 83,  84 

near, 104 

Little  Buffalo  River,      .       101,  102 

journey  up 102 

opening  a  trail  on,  .     .     .     103 
Long  Point 5 

in  camp  near, 41 

Loucheux  Indians,     ....     105 

camps  of 135 

dress  of, 133 

Loxia  leucoptera, 266 

Lutra  hudsonica, 239 

Lutreola  vison, 238 

Lyon,  Capt.  G.  F 244 

Mackenzie  River,  .     .41,  140,  142 

up  the 96 

Mackenzie,  Sir  Alex.,    .     .     .     230 

Mackinlay,  Mr 97,98,99 

Macleod, 45,  47,  253 

inhabitants  of,     ...     .       47 
Mail  team, 93 

driver  of 93,  94 

Mai  de  racquette,  .  18,  43,  105,  109, 
120 

Indian  remedy  for,  ...     123 

Manitoba  Plains, 46 

Marriage, 24 

Marsh,  Mr.  T.  J., 96 

Masson,  G.  R.,  34,  57,  58,  69,  132, 136 

McConnell,  R.  G., 230 

McLean,  Angus 35,  41 

McMurray,  arrival  at,    .     .     .       55 
Mcpherson, 134 

arrival  at, 137 

Medicine, 29 


Medicine  Hat, 46 

Melanophila  longipes,  .  .  .  279 
Melanoplus  bivittaiu^.  .  .  .  276 
Melospiza  georgiana,     .     .     .     268 

lincolni 268 

Mephitis  mephitica,  ....  238 
Merganser  americanus,      .     ,     256 

Merium  proteum, 279 

Merula  migratoria 270 

Metis  dance, 23 

"orchestra," 22 

wedding, 22 

Micropalma  himantopus,  .  .  258 
Mills,  Capt.  J.  W.,      .     .    50,61,65 

Mirage, 127 

Mission  at  Grand  Rapids,       .       31 

Christmas  Eve  at  Roman  Cath- 
olic,       99 

Mittens, 173 

Mniotilta  varia, 268 

:»lode  of  burial  of  Eskimos,    .     199 

Molothrus  ater 265 

Monohammus  confusor,     .     .     279 

scutellatus 279 

Moose,  dressing  skin  of,     .  184, 185 

first 6 

hunt,  first, 4 

second, 7 

peculiar  behavior  of  a,     .        3 

stalking, 8 

"Mooswa," 13,  51 

Morgan,  L.  H., 251 

Mosquitoes,  53,  62,  64,  146,  147,  151 

Murdoch,  John, 190 

Murray,  Capt.  F.  C.  .  148,  236 
Museum  at  Simpson,      .     .     .     132 

Muskeg 4,  5 

Musk-ox,  first  sight  of,  .     .     .     114 

Musk-ox  hunt, 108 

outfit  for,     ....     109 

xMuskrats, 138,  139 

Mustela  americana,   ....     238 

pennanti, 239 

Myths  of  the  Wood  Crees,       .     201 


iatfa 


288 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  TIIH  FAR   NORTH. 


I'VCK 

creation  myth,      ....     2o5 
how  sea  water  became  uiitit  to 

drink 2I7 

how  written 201 

len^'th  of 201 

moose  and  hare 216 

moo.se  and  jacktish,      .     .     217 

<ika.skeway.sesuk,      .     .     .     211 

(jriffin  of  animal  fat,    .     .     209 

of   chanjj'e    in    ermine's 

fur, 211 

of  touchwood,  .  .  212 
owl  and  ca.scade,  .  .  .  217 
story  of  the  delug-e,       .     .     206 

Teena's  story 220 

thunderbolt 210 

Waimesesoo,    .     .      .       203,  204 

tricks  of,   ...     .     204 

why  trees  are  twisted,       .     208 

Wisagatchak,.      .     .       201,  206 

as  a  doctor,    .     .     .     207 

bear  and 209 

beaver  and,    .     .     .     21.? 
becomes  blind,  .     .     21F< 
beginning     of    wander- 
ings,   202 

end  of, 216 

his  brother,  .       203.  206 

his  wife,    ....     204 

nighthawk  and,      .     210 

Nahanni  mountains.       .     .     .     132 

river,  .......     132 

Napa.sis, 4, 5 

Narrows, 33,  43 

Necrophorus  pastulatus,     .     .     278 

Naedle  cases, 197 

"Nesoo  mo-ni-as-uk,"    ...         9 

Net  floats 195 

sinkers 19.S 

Netting  needles, 195 

New  Years  day 23,100 

Nine  Lakes 75,  77 

Nomonyx  dominicus,      .     ,     .     258 

Norman, 133 

Nucif  raga  Columbiana,  .     .     .     265 
Nutting,    Prof.    C.    C,   4,   46,  124, 
237,  253 


l'A(.K 

Odemia  perspicillata,     .     .     .     258 

Ogilvie,  William 231 

"Old   John,"      ....    93,  94,  97 

Old  Peter 47,  48 

Omiaks, 197 

Ooskanatchet,    .     .     .35,  36,  37,  38 
medicine  drum  of,    .     .     .       36 

peace-pipe  of, 36 

Otocoris  alpestris  leucoht-ma,      264 

Outfit,  supplies  in 49 

Ovibcs  mo.schatus,     ....     232 
method  of  capture.  .     .     .     235 

range  of, 235 

Ovis  montana, 236 

montana  dalli 236 

Pack  saddle 182 

Paddles 184 

Pandion     haliiee  us    carolinensis, 

262 

Parry,  Capt.  W.  E.,  .     .       244,  248 

Parus  atricapillus,     ....     269 

Parus  atricapillus  septentrionalis, 
270 

hud.sonicus, 270 

Pauguk 36 

Pauline  harbor,      .     .     .       148,  151 

settlements  at,  ...  .  149 
Pediocietes  phasianellus,    .     .     261 

Peel  river 136, 137.  138 

Pelecanus  erythrorhynchus,  .  256 
Perisoreus  canadensis,  .  205,  264 
Peromyscus  leucopus  articus — ?  250 
Petitot,  Emile,  32,  •.44,  167.  201,  202 
Phalaropus  lobatus,  ....  258 
Phillips  Ba)',  settlement  on.  .  145 
Picoides  americanus  alascensis,  263 

arcticus, 263 

Pike,  Warburton,  .    26.  63,  124,  235 

Pincher  Creek, 47 

Pinicola  enucleator,  ....     266 

Pipes, 180,  184,  190 

Piranga  ludoviciana,      .     .     .     268 

Pissodes  affinis, 280 

Plains,  present  condition  of,  48,  49 
Platynus  obsoletus,  ....     277 

picipennis, 277 

sinuatus 27 


. 


INDEX. 


289 


.  258 
.     231 

.  94,  97 
47,  48 
.     197 

).  37,  38 

.       36 

36 

1,  264 
.  49 
.  232 
.  235 
.  235 
.  236 
.  236 
.  182 
.     184 

neiisis. 


270 

36 

148,  151 

.     149 

.     261 

137,  138 

,  .     256 

205,  264 

?250 

201,  202 

258 

145 

sis,  263 

263 

124,  235 

47 

266 

L84,  190 

268 

280 

,  48,  49 

277 

277 
27 


> 


v.\c,y. 
Plectropheiiax  nivalis,  .     .     .     2b6 

Point  Barrow 150 

arrival  at 152 

Point  Ennuyeux, o" 

Population    of    Mackenzie     River 

district 160 

••PortaK-e,"'  the 33 

Prisoner's  Island 33 

Prospect  Lake 75,  77 

Providence 91,  92 

arrival  at 'J3 

situation  of 131 

Pterosticlius  orinonuini,  .  .  277 
Puffinus  tenuirostris.  .  .  .  256 
PuUen.  Lieut..       .     .V).  05.  139,  118 

Putiorus  erininea 237 

Kabaska 57 

^'.abbit  Point 12.  34 

Rabbit  snares 182 

Rae, 67,  68.  122 

arrival  at 78 

( )ctober  at 85 

Periodical  events  recorded  at, 
86 

situation  of 69 

Ramparts, 133 

Raiif,'-ifer  tarandus 225 

method  of  capture,  .     .     .     227 

ranjfe  of 226 

value  of 228 

Rang-ifer  tarandus  caribou,    .     224 

rang-e  of 224 

Rattle 180 

Ravens, 143,  150 

Reade. 19 

Red  Deer  River, 36 

Red  River 1,  34,  35 

Regulus  calendula,    ....     270 

Reindeer  Island, 42 

Resolution,    ....  45,  67.  83,  85 

arrival  at 97 

tishing-  at, 85 

scarcity  of  supplies  at,     .       97 

Return  Reef, 151 

Richardson,   Sir  John,  63,  64,  136, 
228,  232,  234,  271,  274 


p.\(;k 

Riley.  Dr.  C.  V 228 

Roche  Roujfe  Rapids.     ...       M 

Rocky  River, 61 

Ross,  J.  C 244 

Sagames, 29 

Sainville,  Count  de.  137,  13'*,  144. 
147,  l.=;() 

Salt  River, (>5,  N) 

Salvelinus  namaycush,  ...       85 

Satid-tlies, 8 

San  Krancisco.  journey  to.  1,S() 

arrival  at 157 

Sarjrent.  Chas.  S 223 

Sash 174 

Saskatchewan  River.      .     .     32,  34 

Sayornis  phci'be, 264 

School 30 

Schwatka.  Frederic o4 

Sciuroptenis     volucella    .-^abrinus, 

249 
Sciurus  hudsonius,     ....     249 
Scolecophaf,'us  carolinus,   .     .     266 

cyanocephalus 266 

Scotiaptex  cinereum,      .     .     .     2o2 
Scrapers  for  dressinjj  skins,  177, 198 

Seebohm,  Henry 223 

Segur.  Capt 51,53,55 

Seiurus   noveboracensis  notabilis, 
269 

Selkirk 1.  44 

Separation,  Point 136 

Setophaga  ruticilla,  ....     269 

Shoalwater  Bay 140 

Shot  pouches. 175 

Silpha  lapponica 278 

Simpson 45 

arrival  at 132 

Simpson's  Group,       ....       83 
Simpson,  Thomas,      ....     135 

Sinew, 176 

Slave  River 65,  66,  101 

Slaveys, 162 

Sleds 17 

size  of  the  load 16 

Sleeping-bag-, 96 

in  a 96 


290 


EXI'LORATIONS  IN  TIE  FAR   NORTH. 


s, 


Smith,  ....   61,  65,  67 
Smith  Landin)^,     .     . 
Smith  Rapids,   .     .     . 
Snow-knife,  .... 
Snow-shoe  needle, 
Snow-shoes,  .... 
Spatula  clypeata,  .     . 
SpernirphiLis  empetra- 
Sphyrapihcus  varius, 
Spizella  monticola,    . 

monticola  ochracea, 

pallida,    .... 

socialis,  .... 

socialis  arizonae, 
Stenodus  mackenzii, 
Ste.-corp.rius  long'icaudu 

parasiticus,  .  . 
Sterna  hirundo,  .  . 
Sulphur  Point,  .  .  . 
Surnia  ulula  caparoch. 
Swampy  Isla'id,  .  . 
Tachycineta  bicolor, 
Tamias  asiuticus,  .  . 
Tea-drinking,  .  .  . 
Tea  kettles,   ... 

Tenony, 80,  88, 

Thain,  Mr.  John,  . 
Thalassarctos  maritimu 
Tobacco  poucheii,  ,     . 
To'vwat'nnow  Creek, 
Trachyuachys  inermis,, 
Tracking,      .... 
Treaty  with  Crees,     . 

terms  of,      .     .     . 
Tring-a  bairdii,  .     .     . 

maritima,    .     .     . 
Tryngites  subruficoUis, 
TJpis  ceramboides, 


PA«.  E 

101, 134 

61 

61 

.  194 

181,  182 

17,  182,  183 

257 


249 
263 
267 
267 
267 
267 
267 

85 
255 
255 
256 

97 

262 

1 

268 

249 

18 

39 

89,  91 

133 

244 

174 

50 
276 

11 

27 
28,  29 
259 
259 
259 
280 


r  AC)  E 

Urinator  imber, 254 

lumme, 255 

Ursus  americanus,     ....     245 

horribills, 246 

richardsoni, 246 

Va.iest'a  antiopa 276 

milberti, 276 

Vireo  olivaceus, 268 

philadclphicus,     ....     268 

Walrus, 154 

Walrus  iviry 1% 

Warren  Point 143 

Eskimos  at,      .....     144 

dogs  at, 144 

Whales 153,  154 

Wickham,  H.  F 276 

Winnipeg, 34 

arrival  at, 44 

Winnipeg,  Lake,  ....     34,  44 
passage  across,    ....        1 

Work  bags 176 

Wrangel  Island,     .     .     .      152,  153 
"Wrigley,"  66,  67,  68,  78,  79,  125, 

134,  245 
Xanthocephalus  xanthoceph.aius, 

265 
Xylotorus  bivittatus,  ...  280 
Xylotrechus  undulatus,  .  .  279 
Yellow  Knife  Bay,  .  .  74,  81,  131 
Yellow  Knife  River,  .  .  72,  75 
Yellow  Knives,  arrival  of,  .  98 
big  talk  of,       ....     98,  99 

leaders  of, 98 

New  Year's  Day  among,  .     100 

trade  among, 99 

York  factory, 33,  34 

Zonotrichia  albicollis,    .     .     .     267 
intermedia, 267 


>    '• 


yf'  f    BR  ART  \ 


C3 


^1       FEB    i     1956 


1  -    i- 


PACl  E 

.  254 
.  255 
.  245 
.  246 
.  246 
.  276 
.  276 
.  268 
.  268 
.  154 
.  1% 
.  143 
.  144 
.  144 
153,  154 
.  276 
.   34 
44 
34,44 
1 
.  176 
152,  153 
8,  79,  125, 


eph.aius, 

.  .  280 
.  .  279 
74,  81,  131 
.  72,  75 
>f,  .  98 
.  98,99 
.  .  98 
.  100 
.  99 
33,34 
.  267 
.  267 


>ng. 


